PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
John Jared, President
UTIA Retirees Association
As the fair season across the state quickly comes to a close, I’m reminded of the many ways fairs have been a part of my life from an early age until now. In my elementary school years, the numerous small rural schools in my area would compete annually in a variety of sporting events at the Putnam County Agricultural Fair. Competition included volleyball, relay races, long jumps, tug of war, sack races, and even a watermelon eating contest. My school was always competitive because my mom was the teacher and the coach. And trust me, she did not enjoy losing and did not tolerate frolicking in any form. Needless to say, I gave it my all. In short, competing at the fair was my school’s super bowl.
Another vivid memory of my younger days at the fair takes me back to the large number of fruits, vegetables, field crops, flowers, and baked goods my parents would enter each year. They often won the prize for entering the most items for judging. My dad’s country hams were perennial winners, and the long handle gourd I would enter took first place year after year until the judges decided they did not want to see it ever again. However, the gourd remains in my collection of memorabilia because it was given to me by my grandfather who grew the gourd the year I was born. From my perspective, that does not make the gourd old.
The craziest memory of all was the money I would spend as a young teenager on the young ladies that wanted no more from me than the thrill of spending my hard earned dollars as long as they lasted. I would work during the summer in the neighbor’s tobacco and hay fields just to earn money to spend when the carnival came to town. When it moved on and my money was all spent, the girls were gone as well. I was left wondering what went wrong. Nevertheless, I would do it all over again come next year because in my mind there was no doubt that my efforts would eventually pay off. My parents had taught me that hard work has its rewards but they never explained what they might look like. Thinking back, I have to believe that my experience working in the tobacco and hay fields to earn money to spend on the young ladies at the Putnam County Fair ultimately led to the many rewards that have come my way from my involvement in fairs.
The fall I entered grad school at UT, I was quickly drafted to help judge tobacco and hay at the Tennessee Valley Fair. There were hundreds of entries in those days, and the task was always long, hot, and dirty. My reward for the hard work was two free one-day passes to the fair. If I did the job well, I would also receive a free car pass. That was rather significant for a grad student who was usually financially broke. However, my reward did not end with those two free fair passes.
This September will mark the forty-ninth year I’ve been involved in some capacity with the Tennessee Valley Fair. Doing the math, that number represents one-half of the fair’s ninety-eight years of existence. Over the years the rewards have been many. During the past ten years, it has been my privilege and honor to do all of the public address work during the ten-day running of the fair. The experience has been most rewarding, and I’ve definitely enjoyed the opportunity to make new friends while supporting the fair and giving back to the community. Hopefully, I’ll still be involved when the fair celebrates its centennial birthday in 2019. And by the way, I’ve worked my way up to a free season pass, which has replaced the two one-day tickets. My parents were correct after all.
I hope my quick trip down memory lane has not been too boring. As I believe most of you would agree, retirees do like to reminisce. Perhaps you have fond memories of fairs in your life as well. For sure, they have been a part of my history and culture and bring back lots of wonderful memories and perhaps a few I would like to forget.
Finally, let me remind you of some future dates that are already on the fall calendar for our association. The three dates that I am currently aware of include the Central Area fall meeting in Leiper’s Fork on September 19, Ag Day on September 30, and the Eastern Area fall meeting on October 17 at the Clyde Austin 4-H Center in Greeneville. The Central Area meeting will be at the home of Cherry Lane Darken, 5355 Leiper’s Creek Road, Franklin, Tennessee. If there are other dates to be scheduled, please let George Mays know so he can send out an electronic announcement to the membership. And remember, everyone is welcome to participate in any or all of the fall activities.
Have a great fall, enjoy the beauty of the season, and encourage your non-member friends to become a part of the UTIA Retirees Association. I think they will be glad they did. Thanks to you, our membership continues to grow.
Go Vols!
John