NORWICH – Tucked away behind the Entertainment Tent, in the shadow of the whirling amusement rides, is one of the Chenango County Fair’s best kept secrets: the Exhibition Hall.
This week the structure, which adjoins Floral Hall, is filled with local agencies, non-profits and businesses all keen to show off their products and services.
There are both old and new faces among the booths this year. One of the newest being the Christian Neighborhood Center or, as it is more commonly known, The Place.
“We’re really hoping to increase visibility for families here in the community,” explained Kobie Decker. The director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Chenango County was on hand yesterday to set up the booth she will share with others from The Place over the next five days.
“We have a lot for kids,” Decker said, of the many programs offered by The Place for youth ranging from pre-Kindergarten age to 21.
They are hoping to get the word out by attracting families to their booth with a number of craft projects. While parents get information on available programs, kids can make bookmarks, pipe-cleaner creations and, with the guidance of Americorps Program Coordinator Cara Sefchick, rain gauges.
Decker is also hoping to recruit a few volunteers for her own program, which she says has an immediate need for “bigs” – the term she uses to describe adults who volunteer their time as mentors to area youth.
“We have over 20 youth on a waiting list in Chenango County, waiting for a big brother or big sister,” she reported.
Fairgoers will also find a representative from Girl Scouts of America at The Place booth.
“Our services might not fit every family,” Decker explained. And recognizing that budgets are tight at many non-profit agencies, they extended a collaborative hand to Girl Scouts Membership Manager Maryrose Maiurano, who will be helping out with craft projects throughout the week.
Just around the corner from The Place, visitors will find the Chenango County Board of Elections. According to Senior Election Clerks Elizabeth Vanderweyde and Laura Chapin, the purpose of the county agency’s display is voter education. That includes making sure area residents are registered to vote and comfortable using the new voting machines, which were used for the first time last November.
Information is also available on New York’s new, simplified absentee ballot form. And the election clerks expect to field questions about the upcoming primary elections. Three parties will hold primaries this year in advance of the fall election, according to Chapin: the Republicans, the Democrats and the Conservatives.
There is always some confusion around primary time, she said. The reason? Because not everyone realizes they need to be affiliated with the political party having the primary in order to vote in a primary election.
While many states do hold what are called “open” primaries, “the State of New York is not one of them,” Vanderweyde explained.
The deadline for registering prior to the primary is Aug. 20 for walk-in registration, she said. Forms which are mailed in should be postmarked by that date, and received on or before Aug. 24.
Speaking of upcoming elections, Chenango County’s Democratic Party are using their allotted space in the Exhibition Hall to stump for their party’s candidates, as well as to collect signatures to get Congressman Mike Arcuri on the ballot a second time, under the NY Moderates. The local Democrats are also hoping to drum up interest in their annual picnic, which will take place from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday at the Canasawacta Country Club.
Chenango County’s largest maple syrup producer, Baker’s Maple, also has a presence at the fair. The Bainbridge business, owned by Reed Baker, has a permanent booth in Floral Hall under the banner of the Chenango Area Maple Producer’s Association. The “static display” features maple-themed artwork and a vintage model evaporator, not to mention a full-array of maple products – including maple slushies, snow cones and, humidity permitting, spun maple-sugar fluff. Which fairgoers can enjoy as they peruse the remaining exhibits in both the Exhibition and Floral Halls including Commerce Chenango, Barrier Window Systems of Afton, Chenango County Public Health, MADD, Hospice and Palliative Care of Chenango County, U.S. Navy recruiter, the Joint Landowners Coalition, the Tea Party Patriots and more.