By Andrew Walsh
awalsh@wbcowqel.com
The week leading up to the County Fair may seem like the calm before the storm, at least it may seem that way to everyone who gets to enjoy being attendees and attendees only. For all of those who are responsible for making sure that the fair is an event worth attending this final week is a great deal of work.
This group encompasses what may be a surprisingly broad swath of people, but putting on an event such as this requires the cooperation and coordination of a great many different organizations. This final week before kickoff is the last stretch of days that they have to put the final touches on every last detail.
It was with this busy backdrop, the hive of activity that was the Crawford County Fairgrounds in preparation, that Robert White took some time out to share his story. White was selected as the 2014 Crawford County Fair Supporter of the Year, and it was not difficult to see why.
White is Crawford County through and through. A 1961 graduate of Crestline High School, he has spent his whole life contributing to the county fair. He split his career between PPG in Crestline and the Crawford County Highway Department, with time in-between serving in the United States Military. He has been a Jackson Township Trustee since 1986, and a member of the Fair Board since 1990.
White has spent much of his time in service administering the buildings and grounds of the Crawford County Fairgrounds. Among his titles, past and present, are Vice President, Track Superintendent, Building and Grounds Committee, and Campsite Chairman. When he took a break for the interview, he had been helping prep the arena building by hoisting bleachers to the places they needed to occupy and overseeing the saw dust shipments that will form the floor of the arena. It’s a list of seemingly never-ending tasks.
This was something that White made certain to stress – that the final product put on display at the fair is something that is thanks to the efforts of a great many people:
“There’s a lot of behind the scenes help that doesn’t show,” White said, “It’s a group effort.”
White got his start in the fair as a youngster. He was a 4-H member in his youth and showed hogs at the fair. His dad and granddad were members of the Fair Board, and were heavily involved in the dairy cattle aspects of things. Participating in, and working toward improving, the Crawford County Fair is something that has been an ever-present part of his life.
“It’s a great honor, but I had a lot of help,” White chuckled. He may have been somewhat self-deprecating, but he continued on in a fashion that both shared credit with his peers, and expressed pride at their collective achievements.
“I’m just one of the board, one of a very good board.”