Getting older, getting better (07/25/07)

Some things just get better with age.

Take the Jay County Fair.

This week's event is the 135th, and it's a fine one.

But the high standards and continuing improvement at the fair should never be taken for granted.

It hasn't always been this way.

In fact, there was a time during the 1950s and 1960s that skeptics wondered whether the fair could survive. There was a forlorn seediness about not only the event but the fairgrounds themselves.

What made the difference? Leadership, a constant infusion of new blood, and a refusal to settle for the status quo.

The leadership came from individuals like Everett May Jr., who left the permanent stamp of his personality on this community.

The new blood came from a long line of fair board members willing to dedicate countless hours to make sure the grounds look good and the fair runs smoothly.

The refusal to settle for the status quo has been a tricky one. It would have been far easier for the fair to settle into a rut, the old we've-always-done-it-that-way sort of thinking.

Instead, the fair board has tweaked and revised and re-shuffled entertainment and events. This year's calendar, for example, shifts the big name entertainment to Saturday night instead of Wednesday night.

In industry, it's called continuous improvement and it's a hallmark of the Jay County Fair. - J.R.[[In-content Ad]]