Albany — like the rest of the world — could use some good news.
Enter the Exchange Club of Albany.
“We are moving forward with plans to have the Southwest Georgia Regional Fair October 25-30,” Exchange Club Fair of Southwest Georgia Inc. Vice President and Fair Manager for “20-plus years” Skip Nichols said. “And we have reason to believe this is going to be one of the best fairs we’ve ever had.”
Indeed, the annual weeklong fair is approaching its seventh decade as one of the most anticipated and widely attended events in southwest Georgia, and after a two-year COVID-forced absence, members of the Exchange Club have every reason to expect an enthusiastic welcome back by the region.
“People everywhere are anxious to get back out, to do things again,” Exchange Club of Albany President Steve Perrine said after the club’s meeting. “And this is an outside event, so that’s another factor in our favor. And because this is a local, southwest Georgia event, the people from the region can enjoy themselves without spending a lot of money on gas or hotels.
“It’s also important because the fair helps our service organization give back to the people in this community who would not make it without our support. We’re able to focus on the four pillars of our organization: our national project of preventing child abuse, programs that serve our youths, Americanism and veterans, as well as community service.”
While Nichols acknowledge that the two years with no fair has cut into the Exchange Club Fair of Southwest Georgia Inc.’s budget and will force the organization to cut back on the free entertainers (“like magicians and hypnotists”), he says patrons can expect the elements that are a vital part of the fair.
“The James Straits Shows will be here for the 68th year; we’ll have all the games and rides on the midway, and the vendors that everyone loves will be here just like always,” Nichols said. “And, what’s become a real favorite, the demolition derby will be back. We just don’t have the budget for some of the ‘extras’ that we’ve had in the past. Even without the fair the last two years, we’ve still had to pay taxes, pay insurance, pay upkeep and maintenance for these 110 acres of the fairgrounds.”
Ownership of the fairgrounds, Perrine explains, makes the Albany Exchange Club one of about 20 out of “between 400 and 600″ Exchange service organizations that actually own property.
“According to our charter, we can own a mallet, a bell and a podium,” the Exchange Club president said. “Since the Exchange Club couldn’t own property, there is actually a separate organization that ‘owns’ the property.
“But leading up to and during the fair, there may be a few who are physically unable, but about 90% of our club membership will be out here working.”
Chief among them, Perrine notes, will be Nichols and current Exchange Club Fair of Southwest Georgia Inc. President Larry Griffin.
“Most everyone in the club works to make the fair a success each year, but Skip and Larry put in mammoth hours. I’d say anywhere from 500 up to 1,000 hours,” Perrine said. “They’re the heart and soul of the fair.”
That’s easy, Nichols humbly responds, when the event means so much to the community and region.
“This becomes part of you,” he said. “It’s a privilege to be a part of something like this because it’s in my heart.”
Credit: Albany Herald
Credit: Albany Herald
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