Record number of vendors at fair love to interact with public

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Erica Wanecski, left, and Nancy Walker, both master gardeners, pose with some of the entries in the Flower Arrangement contest at the fair.

KNOWLESVILLE – As the Orleans County 4-H Fair heads into its final days this week, tribute is paid to the importance of vendors, who provide entertainment, food and education to fairgoers.

“This is the most vendors we’ve ever had,” said Robert Batt, director of Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension. “Vendors give fairgoers more options of things to do. Some people come every day just to eat the food.”

One of the longest attending food vendors is Scott Jolasso with his taffy and lemonade booth. Batt has been coming to fair since he was a youngster in 4-H and he remembers Jolasso being there most of those years.

Photographer Bruce Landis, right, chats with Matt Lehr of Brighton in his booth at the Orleans County 4-H Fair. Lehr’s goal is to attend every county fair in New York state. Landis set up his first booth in the early 1970s.

Bruce Landis with Photos by Bruce has to be one of the longest attending, if not the longest vendor at the fair. When asked if he knew how many years he had been exhibiting, his reply was “About 106 years.”

“It was some time in the 1970s when I first came,” Landis said. “The big thing is I do it to support the kids. But I get benefits, too.”

He said the first year was a challenge, because he had nothing to set up a booth with. He had to buy plywood, lumber and frames.

For several months after the fair, Landis said he heard no feedback. Then, in November a call came in from a lady who said, “I saw you at the fair and I’d like you to do a family photo for Christmas.”

“Then I realized I’m not selling anything that can be used today,” he said.

But he also realized many people would eventually need the service he provided.

“One big reason I keep coming back is the pie booth,” Landis joked. “I average two pieces a day.”

Mary Ellen Hamill of Holley purchases a rice bag from Darrell Wright of Bergen on Wednesday afternoon at the Orleans County 4-H Fair. Looking on is her companion Ron Swan. Write annually exhibits at four or five fairs in the area, but this is his first time at the Orleans County 4-H Fair.

Master Gardeners are also long-time exhibitors at the fair. On Wednesday night, Erica Wanecski and Nancy Walker were enjoying talking to fairgoers in the Master Gardeners’ booth.

“We’ve always had a booth at the fair for as long as I can remember,” Walker said. “We want to make people aware of the educational information on gardening that is available.”

Wanecski said it is their hope to get more people interested in gardening.

“We’re here to help if we’re needed,” she said.

The ladies explained the Flower Show, which was new last year, in which the public submits their arrangements to compete for a prize. This year, instead of judges, the winning entry will be the “people’s choice,” selected by votes from fairgoers.

Fairgoers can also count on seeing Judy Szulis of Medina at the Orleans County 4-H Fair. She has been a vendor with her Tupperware products for at least 15 years, she said.

“I love meeting the people,” Szulis said. “This place is the only time I see some of them all year. I meet new customers and many of them come back every year.”

The vendor barn has something for everyone. Most of the vendors had some kind of gift to give away, whether it be a sucker or small toy for children, or water bottles, key chains, letter openers, pens, lip balm, candy and lanyards.

Lake Ontario Fruit set up a booth as an opportunity to recruit new employees.

Although she will run uncontested for county district attorney in November, Susan Howard had a booth to say thank you to voters and provide information on the office.

The Orleans County 4-H Robotics Club is represented in the vendor barn at the fair this week. Here, Jonathan Dix of Knowlesville demonstrates a robot made by the club.

Youth were represented by the Orleans County 4-H Robotics Club, where Jonathan Dix of Knowlesville was demonstrating a number of robots made by club members.

Vendors provide information on a variety of subjects. Orleans Recovery Hope is giving away Narcan kits and showing how to use them. On Wednesday evening, Lori Reed and Nelson Gauthier handed out kits.

“Opioid use is on the rise and we want to get the word out so people can help someone who has overdosed,” Reed said.

She said many of the people who stopped at the booth had lost a loved one to a drug overdose and wanted to be able to help someone else.

Darrell Wright of Bergen was making his first appearance at the fair with his booth of rice bags, goat milk products and skin care creams. He normally has a booth at four or five local fairs every summer.

“I decided to come here this year because I live nearby and I like supporting local fairs,” Wright said.

One of his customers was Mary Ellen Hamill and her companion Ron Swan of Holley.

“We’ve been coming to his fair for 30 years,” Hamill said. “I glad to see the rice bags. You heat them in the microwave and they really help if you’ve got a sore neck or back.

Another first-time vendor was the Orleans County Chapter of the Weston A. Price Foundation, an organization which promotes healthy food choices. Two of its members are Terry Rogelstad of Mockingbird Bell Farm in Holley and the Beam farm on Oak Orchard Road, Albion.

Rogelstadt and Valerie Beam of Waterport handed out pamphlets on healthy traditional diets, cancer protection with food, the dangers of vegetarian and vegan diets and cholesterol myths and truths.

“We decided to have a booth at the fair this year because we needed more exposure to education people on growing and eating healthy food,” Rogelstadt said.

Other first-time vendors are Dream Tea Bubble Tea; New Orleans Style Snoballs; For Clucks’ Sake Village Chickens (the group trying to have chickens allowed in villages); Storm Song Hollow Minerals; and Caricatures by Alex.

“This is the first time we’ve had a caricature artist in a long time, and she’s drawing a lot of attention,” Batt said.

Batt also explained they had established a new vendor area on the lawn south of the Trolley Building. Here, a first-time exhibitor, Pretty Bird Paradise, is offering free entertainment to fairgoers who can enter the enclosure and see the birds up close. While there is no charge to enter, feed can be purchased to feed the birds.

Terry Rogelstad and Valerie Beam promote healthy food choices at their booth at the Orleans County 4-H Fair. Rogelstad is vice president of the Weston A. Price Foundation, which promotes healthy, traditional diets. The Beam farm on Oak Orchard Road in Albion is also a member of the Foundation.