Introducing the 2008 Fair Person of the Year.....
Jenny Wilkins
of the Halifax County Fair
Jenny Osborne Wilkins has been involved with the Halifax County Fair for the last fifty-seven years. Her fair career started before she even knew her husband to be, Buck Wilkins, had any involvement with the fair. Jenny grew up loving the fair, attending the fair and riding the rides with her friends, but had no idea while dating Buck as to his involvement with the fair. Buck and Jenny got engaged and Jenny suggested that they set an October wedding date. Buck let it be known that an October wedding was out of the question because he had the fair to deal with. They were married in November and the following year, Jenny started her long involvement with the Halifax County Fair. Over the years, Jenny assumed more and more involvement with the fair. In time, Jenny's father-in-law, Mr. W. W. Wilkins turned the fair over to his three sons, Buck, Banks, and Bailey Wilkins. The "boys" were in charge of maintenance, facilities and grandstand entertainment. Jenny assumed responsibility for the exhibit buildings, judges, prize money, the beauty pageant, judges luncheons and paying the bills. She also worked with the carnivals, circuses and vendors and the Halifax County Extension Office. Upon the death of her husband of fifty-four years, Jenny assumed the responsibilty of running the whole fair and did this without complaining until the county bought the fairgrounds this year. The Halifax County Fair has been a private family operated fair. The family has pitched in and helped, but the driving force behind the fair has been Jenny.
Jenny refused to cumputerize the fair operations because to her, this would take away the personalization that she truly loved. Jenny has used the same typewriter for sixty years and typed every mailing label that went on each fair catalog so that she could see who was still entering exhibits and who was not. Until a few years ago, Jenny washed and ironed all the cloth drapes that went around the chicken and rabbit cages and also washed all the cake covers from the exhibit building. Three years ago, Jenny had open heart surgery a week before the fair. She did not work as many hours that fair, but did not miss a day coming to the fair.
Jenny has served the Virginia Association of Fairs as a board member and also was vice-president. Over the years, she has consulted for other fairs and judged beauty pageants when asked to do so. Jenny rarely has missed a VAF convention. Many years ago when the convention was in Roanoke, Jenny and Buck braved a snow storm in route to the convention and at times could only drive ten miles per hour.
Serving the Halifax County Fair for fifty-seven years gives Jenny many career highlights. Having worked with some of the entertainment industry's biggest names such as the Zambelli Family, the Straits, the Degellers, the Reithoffers, the Vavonnas and most recently, the RC and Betsy Cole just to name a few. Jenny has also worked with some big name entertainers over the many years. She was presented a fifty year plaque on the stage by Ricky Van Shelton and two years ago was seranaded by Ronnie McDowell. Her main highlight is getting to work for the many people who attend the Halifax County Fair.
Jenny is very active in the South Boston and Halifax County communities. She attends the First Presbyterian Church where she is a former Deacon and Elder. She regularly attends the church's ladies Bible Circle. She is a member of the Berryman Green Chapter of the DAR. She has also been advisor to the Halifax County High School Home Economics Advisory Board. Mainly in our community, Jenny is know as the "Fairlady". Her kitchen table serves as the fair office and her phone rings all year because of people inquiring about fair issues.
This past fair was the last that the Wilkins family put on. The county needed property adjoining the fairgrounds and wanted to take over the operation of the Halifax County Fair. A fair committee has been formed and contracts for next years fair are in the works. The first people named to the committee were Jenny and the other members of the Wilkins family. The Halifax County Fair will continue and Jenny will continue to be the "Fairlady". Jenny had always said that when her typewriter was not able to continue, neither would she. Well, this year, her typewriter broke and parts can not be found to fix it. Jenny may slow down a bit, but her fair days are not over yet.
It with honor that we submit our "Fairlady", Jenny Osborne Wilkins for consideration for the VAF Fair Person of the Year.
