A FAIR AMOUNT OF WORK: VOLUNTEER SWEAT BUILDS FAIR

Transforming a city park into a fairgrounds doesn't happen overnight.

There's nothing magical about it. It takes a lot of hard work.

Pete Poe knows what it takes. Poe is president of the Southeast Missouri District Fair Association, the organization that puts on the annual SEMO District Fair.

On Saturday, with temperatures in the sweltering 90s, Poe and 85 other volunteers spent the day setting up fences, wiring lights and handling other chores needed to turn Cape Girardeau's Arena Park into a fairgrounds.

There's nothing glamorous about such work. At this stage, cotton candy, carnival rides and fair livestock aren't even a mirage.

There are no sounds of music at the grandstand or children screaming with delight as they whirl through the air on carnival rides.

Amid the heat and dust, a grader scoops up a layer of grass and dirt. It's an annual chore, fixing up the dirt track in front of the grandstand.

Poe said the track will have to be watered before the Sept. 13 horse show so it won't be too hard for horses' hooves.

The track will get watered some more for the demolition derby. "We will really water it down," said Poe.

Once the fair is over, all the dirt that was scraped off the track will be hauled back in. The grass will grow back from the seeds still in the dirt, Poe said.

The workers installed a third set of lights atop the grandstand roof Saturday morning.

Members of the Fair Association began tackling the chores at 7:30 a.m.

More work is on tap today and Labor Day. The first carnival rides should start arriving late Monday or early Tuesday.

Poe said it takes about three full days to transform the park into a fairgrounds.

The fair association contracts with a firm to provide the mobile stage used for the grandstand show.

Years ago, association members did the work themselves. Poe said it took 15 men eight hours to set up the stage.

Even with all the volunteer labor, it isn't cheap to put on a district fair.

Expenses run about $350,000. The association brings in enough revenue from admission fees and other charges to cover its costs, he said.

Poe said the association tries to improve the fairgrounds each year.

There will be 30 portable restrooms at the fair this year in addition to the five permanent restroom facilities.

Poe said the goal is to make the fair enjoyable for families. "We get a lot of people comment how clean we keep the restrooms."

The 143rd annual district fair will have some 30 concession stands. Some 1,200 head of livestock will be housed at the fair.

It takes a lot of electrical power to run a fair. The diesel generators that fuel the carnival rides could power a small city, Poe said.

The fair also requires plenty of sawdust. Poe estimated that the fair uses nearly three trailer loads of sawdust. Most of the sawdust is used in the livestock areas.

Transforming Arena Park into a fairgrounds is a family tradition for many volunteers.

"I have a son out here and a grandson," said Leeman Gerecke of Gordonville.

Gerecke, who serves on the fair board, has been helping out with the event since 1963.

He keeps track of the fair's 3,000 chairs and 210 tables.

Gerecke, Poe and the other volunteers don't complain about all the work.

Said Poe, "It's a labor of love for these guys."

The reward comes during fair week in the form of delighted fair-goers. "That's what it is all about," Poe said.

GRANDSTAND EVENTS

Sunday, Sept. 13 - Horse Show at 1:30 p.m. (Free)

Monday, Sept. 14 - Demolition Derby at 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 15 - Tractor Pull at 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 16 - Truck Pull at 7 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 17 - Willie Nelson at 8 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 18 - Kenny Chesney at 8 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 19 - Lonestar and Brad Hawkins at 8 p.m.

For tickets, call 334-9250 or (800) 455-FAIR