Kerry Taylor passes the baton to the new Holmes County Fair board of directors
He says he has left the future of the Holmes County Fair in good hands
Kerry Taylor reports on the highlights of her 20 years as President of the Fair Board
Kerry Taylor talks about the new fairgrounds at Harvest Ridge and the collaboration that has been required over the past 20 years to make it possible
- Many great achievements, with the new exhibition center being the crowning glory.
- Kerry Taylor enjoyed working with a dedicated and passionate group of board members.
When Kerry Taylor decided last fall not to run for re-election as president of the Holmes County Senior Fair Board, he was confident that he would leave the board in good hands and that his successor, Roger Boring, would be able to carry on the cause.
Taylor was elected to the board in 2000 and became president in 2004, a position he held until the 100th anniversary celebration last year. He continues to serve on the executive committee. He has overseen a smooth transition for several new members.
Looking back, he says the board’s success over the past two decades is the result of the teamwork of a dedicated group of employees and he was simply fortunate to serve as president at the right time.
“The board was in a good position,” he said. “Roger Boring was vice president for several years, Matt Feikert is now vice president and Tara Shelton remains secretary. That gave me a sense of relief and less stress. I think it’s important that we have a plan for the future.”
“But it has also given me the opportunity to pursue deeper areas, such as raising funds for an addition we want to add to the Expo building,” Taylor added. “We applied for several grants and I worked on them.”
Leading a ship with a great crew
Taylor said he was fortunate to be at the helm of the ship as it was moved from the old, often flooded fairgrounds to the higher grounds of Harvest Ridge. He finds it refreshing to be able to step back and still be a part of it.
“The accomplishments of the fair board and the entire community over the last 15 years have been phenomenal,” he said. “It has been gratifying not only on a local level, but on a state level as well. I think we have created a facility that will serve the community and the greater Holmes County area for generations to come. I am super proud of that.”
He points out that the trade fair management is preparing to host its ninth trade fair at the new location, which also means that the buildings are getting old. They will be 10 years old.
“We know there will be ongoing maintenance and we’re making small changes as we go along,” he said. “We’ve set the bar very high and expectations are high. We’ve worked really hard to maintain that, for example with paving and building drainage ditches.”
He said the state has been generous in funding projects, providing $50,000 in grants to every fair in the state, and an additional allocation has helped make more projects possible.
Critics fueled the fire for success
Obviously there were major challenges, such as financing the multi-million dollar facility, building it and then moving in nine years ago.
“The many little challenges, the hurdles, came one after the other,” Taylor said. “There were a number of skeptics who told us we couldn’t do what we were doing. Every time I heard that, it was like putting gas in my tank. When I look back at what we accomplished from 2014 to the opening of the first fair in 2016, the amount of work we did was truly incredible.
“We had the right board and we did it at the right time,” he said. “I couldn’t imagine today taking on the challenges of starting this project, from the costs to COVID to the consequences. We did it at the right time.”
He also had a group of people at his side who were willing to do the work necessary.
“We had challenges, but we also had solutions to those challenges; we just had to overcome them,” Taylor said. “As we started setting up and started dealing with booking events, budgeting and hiring staff, the years 2016 to 2020 were probably almost as stressful for me as the years 2010 to 2016 were.”
“It was like we had a toddler, then preschool came, then elementary school,” he said. “Those steps progressed, and I really think we hit adolescence. That is, we got out of the black hole of 12 to 18 months of no rentals and COVID and staff changes and things that took place during that time period. I’m thankful that we stayed afloat financially despite having virtually no income for an entire year. On the other hand, I’m extremely proud that we put on a good 4-H fair during that COVID year. I thought it was great that we were able to support the kids. And we got through that.”
Great support from the community
Taylor said the support he has received over the years from Holmes County Commissioners and County Engineer Chris Young has been tremendous, as well as support from the business community and many individuals too numerous to name.
“The financial support from individuals and businesses in this county is incredible,” Taylor said. “I think that’s a credit to Holmes County. We’ve accomplished something that would be difficult to accomplish in most other counties in Ohio. It started with Paul Weaver donating the land, and it just grew from there.”
“Where would the fair be today if we were still on the old fairgrounds,” he said. “I know I wouldn’t be on the board. You can’t bang your head against the wall forever.”
Taylor jokes that any fair board member would say it’s difficult to take a summer vacation because there are so many activities leading up to the fair.
“There wasn’t a big gap between my youngest daughter’s involvement in 4-H and involvement in animal shows and my oldest grandson’s involvement,” he said. “Now I have three grandchildren who are involved and involved in animal shows, and it’s nice to see that.”
The right people on site
One of the personnel changes was the hiring of Don Snow as manager of Harvest Ridge.
“He just completed his first full year and is doing a fantastic job,” Taylor said. “He will take us to the next level with facility management for non-fair events. Additionally, long-time board member Tim Hershberger has taken over facility management and Pat Martin is handling things in the office.”
“We have great leadership on the Junior Fair board and the adult leadership has been good,” he said. “The kids have been great. It’s important to get them involved and hopefully they’ll stay in the area. Plus, we have 22 board members, so there are a lot of people involved.”
Boring is honored to follow Taylor
Boring is honored to succeed his friend and mentor as Chairman of the Fair Board.
“Taking on the role of president is no easy task and let’s face it, Kerry isn’t going anywhere anytime soon,” Boring said. “As a member of the Holmes County Agricultural Society, he will continue to help drive the continued development of the Holmes County Fair and Harvest Ridge.”
Boring noted that Taylor left a lasting legacy for which he will long be remembered.
“Kerry will forever be known as the president we all followed to Harvest Ridge,” Boring said. “His leadership set a high standard and built a strong foundation for the future of the Holmes County Fair and Harvest Ridge. It is a testament to his vision and hard work that he will be remembered and respected for these accomplishments.”
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