The Wilson County Fair was awarded the Merit Award at this year’s Tennessee Association of Fairs (TAF) Convention by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. As a 2019 Premier Fair Award winner in the AAA Division for the 2018 Fair, Wilson County Fair was not eligible for a top award in their division at the 2020 TAF Convention.
During the convention Wilson County Fair competed in the Showcase of Fairs Competitive Exhibits and received seven 1st place awards and the Golden Needle Award as well as eight 2nd and three 3rd place awards.
2019 Fairest of the Fair Amber Logan Agee competed with other young ladies representing fairs across the state of Tennessee.
“We were very pleased this year,” Helen McPeak, Wilson County Fair Executive Director, said of the awards received. “Amber did a wonderful job and represented Wilson County with grace and was a true ambassador for Wilson County.”
McPeak added, “The Fair is all about agriculture, fun and putting smiles on people’s faces. We have over 1,600 volunteers who make the Wilson County Fair exciting and new each year, and it truly is a showcase of our community. It’s the one time that everybody in our county comes together.”
Wilson County Fair ranks No. 31 on the Top 50 Fairs in the Nation listing compiled by carnivalwarehouse.com, and Reithoffer Shows, which provides the midway rides, ranks No. 6 in the nation by the same organization.
First place awards in the Showcase included the non-professionally decorated pageant stage, website, Fair video, Fair brochure, non-premium tabloid, AAA/Regional Division premium book (Fair Catalog) and pieced quilt – machine pieced/machine quilted entered by Barbara Martinez who won the Golden Needle top quilting award.
Second place was received for the premium tabloid, fair poster, digital scrapbook, Power Point presentation, Free Standing display, Tabletop display, Best Fair Theme Display, and Creative Fair Idea other than Agriculture. Third place was garnered for the AAA Division scrapbook, pieced quilt – hand pieced/machine quilted and Creative Fair Idea for Agriculture.
Premier Fair was presented in three categories: Division A for counties with a population under 21,000 won by Smith County; AA Division for counties with a population of 21,000 to 47,000 was won by Macon County, and AAA Division for fairs in counties with a population of over 47,000 was won by Putnam County. Sevier County Fair received the Champion of Champions award for their 2019 Fair.
Wilson County will continue to be represented on the TAF Board of Directors by Helen McPeak servin
g as a Middle Tennessee director.
Wilson County Fair volunteers with Tennessee State Representatives Clark Boyd and Susan Lynn, 2019 Wilson County Fair Fairest of the Fair Amber Logan Agee, Wilson County Fair President Randall Clemons and Wilson County Fair Executive Director Helen McPeak at the Tennessee Association of Fairs Convention Awards Banquet.