[W2CRA] Cherryville Makes the Democrat!

[Walter O'Brien, W2WJO]

County Fair article starts on the front page, mention our special event
station on Page 2!

http://www.nj.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1092943875118100.xml?hunterd
on?news

Or just read it here:

County fair opens Wednesday at new site in Ringoes

Thursday, August 19, 2004

By NICHOLAS DiGIOVANNI

Preparations continue for the Hunterdon County 4-H & Agricultural Fair,
which starts Wednesday at the new South County Park on Route 179 in Ringoes.

Organizers are excited about both the grounds and the scheduled events.
"It's going to be very, very pretty," said Roger Everitt, president of the
group formed five years ago when the owners of the Flemington Fairgrounds
decided to discontinue running the annual fair.

"We've had lot of people ride in to look at the new site -- people are
curious -- and everybody I talked with thinks it's wonderful," he said.

While the fair starts with various 4-H contests shows and a farm-tractor
pulling contest Wednesday morning, activities at the new fairgrounds
actually start Monday, with the state 4-H Dairy Show, followed by the state
Holstein Dairy Show on Tuesday.

The fairgrounds is a joint undertaking of the county government and the fair
committee, a private, nonprofit group. The county bought the land, formerly
the site of the Ringoes Drive-In, for $603,000 and entered into a lease with
the committee, which is paying for various improvements, including
buildings. The five constructed so far cost about $215,000, and the electric
wiring, well, plumbing and other infrastructure work is costing tens of
thousands more. 

The fair committee, which spent around $164,000 to put on last year's fair
at Flemington Fairgrounds, has a budget of $208,000 for this year's fair.

Hunterdon County allocated $70,000 this year for the fair and has spent
about $1 million to turn the property into the South County Park. This
includes engineering and design, roads, driveways and parking areas. In
future years it expects to hold various public events at the park.

"When I first got involved, I never thought we would get the cooperation
from all the people in the county (government) that we have gotten," Everitt
said. "The county has just been 100 percent in back of us on this."

He said that electricity was to be turned on at the site by yesterday. Tents
will be put up tomorrow and Saturday, he added.

Besides the contractors and county employees, Everitt credited the many
volunteers, including 4-H members, who have been helping get everything
ready. "About 20 kids were there working the night of Aug. 11, and on
Saturday, about 20 4-H members and parents showed up. They came to paint
bleachers, but we found some other jobs for them, too."

He noted that because it was planted only recently, the grass is not as lush
as it will be later. The county has brought in truckloads of wood chips to
spread in any wet spots, if necessary.

Besides the traditional midway rides and games, the fair will have about 80
food and commercial vendors of all sorts. Committee members Louisa Cole,
Karen Mallea and Dan Mundy have been laying out vendors' spots, with
assistance from Roger Storr, who helped organized the vendors at Flemington
Fair for many years.

The gazebo, which stood in the front of the grandstand at the old
fairgrounds, has been restored and will grace the entrance to the fair from
the parking area. It's being landscaped and "will really be pretty," Everitt
said. 

Many shows and contests at the fair are open to the public. People can
compete in a number of categories, such as baking and producing canned
goods, jellies and preserves, vegetables and farm crops. A perennial
favorite is the "Biggest Vegetable" contest, with more than 40 classes,
ranging from the biggest beet to the longest carrot to the largest sunflower
head. 

The Community Garden Club of Hunterdon County will hold its 109th Flower
Show at the fair. It will be a "nonstandard" show, with more-liberal rules
to encourage public participation, and almost all the classes are open to
the public. 

For specific contest information, visit co.hunterdon.nj.us/4hagfair.htm. In
a change from the past, entries for the open shows, including baked and
canned goods, vegetables and farm crops, must be submitted on Tuesday.

A number of community organizations will have displays at the fair. The
Cherryville Repeater Association, an amateur "ham" radio group, will have a
Special Event Radio Station called W4H there. It will give the public a
chance to learn how ham radio benefits the community. Each participant will
receive a free personalized color certificate as a souvenir; no license or
experience is required.

"We are in the middle of a telecommunications revolution, and amateur radio
is right in the middle of the action," said club Vice President Walter
O'Brien. "We hope that people will come out to our booth." The station will
operate on or near the frequencies of 7.275, 14.275, 21.375 and 28.375 MHz.

Entertainers 

Free main-stage entertainment hosted by Dan "Dr. D" Torrone of Clinton, a
fair committee member, is set for day and night and Sunday afternoon. He's
still signing acts; so far, the schedule includes, for Friday night, a
lip-sync contest open to all, followed by Jeff Randall of Flemington, who
plays the guitar and sings, featuring classics and some country. Jasmine
Morgan, a 17-year-old singer from Valley View, Pa. who has opened for some
big-name country acts, will perform, too.

WDVR-FM radio of Sergeantsville will broadcast its Heartlands Hayride show
live from the fair Saturday at 6 p.m.

Lloyd of Raritan Township will present his More Than Magic act show at
various times during the week.

The fair 10 a.m.-10 p.m. daily except for Sunday, when it officially ends at
6, but will be followed by a veteran-recognition program and fireworks
organized by the county government. Admission is free; there is a $5 parking
fee shared with volunteer fire companies whose personnel supervise the
parking.