Schnecksville Community Fair opens its gates
BY SUSAN BRYANT
The 39th annual Schnecksville Community Fair opening ceremony on June 18 began on a somber note as fair President Emory Minnich announced this would probably be his last time on stage as president.
“I have been looking for a replacement for about six years already,” Minnich said. “Nobody has stepped up, but as of July 1, I am retiring as president, probably not from the work, they will not let me do that.
“I’m still here trying to get stuff done, but it’s time for some younger people to start taking over.”
Lehigh County Executive Phillips Armstrong was next to address the crowd.
“This is a great day for Lehigh County,” Armstrong said. “We made the news. We have now 403 farms preserved in Lehigh County which makes us No. 1 when it comes to acres preserved, so we are behind the farmers and that’s why I come here every year.
“This is a great organization and I hate to see you (addressing Minnich) not be on this stage anymore but thank you very much.”
Next to speak was Tracy Barone, fair fund administrator with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.
“Hi everybody, I am happy once again to be out here for Secretary Russell C. Redding in the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture to honor an outstanding volunteer at the fair,” Barone said. “We do this every year at many fairs throughout Pennsylvania.”
Before she conveyed the 2024 Friends of the Fair honor to Richard Ruch, she asked everyone to give a big round of applause to Minnich for his years of service to the Schnecksville Community Fair.
“We like to honor outstanding fair volunteers and Richard is one of them and it’s my understanding, you’re the original fair goer,” she said to Ruch.
Ruch responded.
“Before it (Schnecksville Fair) was even an official fair it was a carnival and that was back in the 80s,” Ruch said.
“Well, it sounds to me like you are like a Jack of all trades,” Barone said. “I do not know how they would have run this fair without you, well you have a good teacher.
“I will not go through the whole thing word for word, but I do want to read in part Richard’s extraordinary dedication to the fair is securing its future.
“This faithful and outstanding service deserves commendation and is worthy of emulation. On behalf of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, I offer my gratitude for his role in telling the story of Pennsylvania agriculture. Thank you so much.”
Minnich commented on Ruch’s honor before introducing 2024 Pennsylvania State Fair Queen Erica Teagarden.
“Thank you,” Minnich said. “Richard he wasn’t with us last year. Pretty much this year he has been cutting grass. He likes that.”
Teagarden said she comes from the Washington County Agricultural Fair, which is what she calls the Wild West in Pennsylvania.
“We are about on the West Virginia border, so far out there and I’m excited to be here today,” she said. “I have the exciting opportunity of representing the Pennsylvania State Association of County Fairs this year as the State Fair Queen.”
Teagarden travels to as many fairs and events as she can.
“I am excited to say this is my first official fair and my very first time in Lehigh County,” Teagarden said. I’m excited for that. “They told me it was a bit of a small fair but that is OK, we have a small fair where I am from too and sometimes the small fairs are the better fairs.
“I am just so excited for this summer to get to visit all sorts of fairs and events and I just want to thank you again for inviting me today.”
Minnich then recognized The Great Allentown Fair CEO Beverly Gruber and president of The Great Allentown Fair Daryl Urmy and his wife, Cheryl.
“I would just like to take this opportunity to thank Emory for his outstanding service not just for Schnecksville but for all fairs and for everything he has done,” Daryl Urmy said.
“I have known Emory’s family since I first started showing cattle.
“Emory was out serving our country, but I got to meet his brothers and when it came that I got involved with Allentown, we started the little farm hands, and we borrowed a lot of equipment.”
Urmy said Minnich was his go-to guy for everything and he still is.
“I called him the first year we were having a flood and I said, ‘Emory what are we going to do, all your plywood is getting wet, Emory just laughed,’” Urmy said.
“He said, ‘You have something there. ‘You can prevent it. ‘You got corn cobs, just raise the plywood up and let the water flow underneath.
“I said I was embarrassed. A farmer should know that. So, I just wanted to give you this (small corn cob), so you remember us in your retirement.”
Minnich also recognized the 2023 The Great Allentown Fair Queen Kamryn Fink and her parents Travis and Stephanie Fink.
“From the Schuylkill County Fair, we have Queen Kamryn Moran and Princess Abri Kutz.
“You all were taking pictures of Moodonna. She is from The Great Allentown Fair, too,” he said. “We’re glad the township supports us pretty well around here.
“We have our Township Manager Randy Cope here tonight.”
North Whitehall Supervisors Al Geosits, Dennis Klusaritz and Ron Heintzelman joined Cope onstage.
“We’ve also been doing a lot with farmland preservation thanks for the support through Executive Armstrong and Lehigh County,” Cope said.
“We preserved almost 550 acres here in the township just over the past few years and we have an approximately 250 to 300 acres hopefully in addition to that being preserved this year with another I think 200 coming up hopefully next year as well, so we’re very active in the community working with our farmers.
“Tonight, we wanted to recognize Emory Minnick for his 19 years as the Schnecksville Fair president and the countless efforts that you have made here. I have gotten to know you over the past two years, and I can honestly say I have not seen a more dedicated individual.
“Every day I see him up here cutting grass, working on the equipment and putting this wonderful festival here together, so we do have a certificate of appreciation for you here tonight that the board of supervisors and I wanted to present to you for all your dedication to your community here in North Whitehall Township, thank you.”
Before closing the opening ceremony, Minnich recognized the winners of the coloring contest: Vivianna Fuller, age group 2-3; Thomas Gouger, age group 4-5; Cameron Albert, age group 6-8; and Brennan Yerger, age group 9-12.
He also recognized some of the Schnecksville Fair volunteers Dolores Wehr, Joanne Shook, Darlene Wirth, Gail Heintzelman and Terri Wehr, recording secretary.