BY ROBERT SANCHEZ
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Harold Herron thinks numbers are an essential part of a successful fair.
The executive director of the Clermont County Fair sits in his office every day of the fair and spends a few minutes counting the ticket receipts.
He counts the number of fair entries, the number of participants and the number of volunteers.
He's gone through them so many times that they are memorized.
"It's tough to be exact, but we try and come as close as possible," said Mr. Herron, who has been affiliated with the fair for 15 years. "We work with the numbers every day. It's our job to keep them straight."
This year, Mr. Herron is dealing with 3,000 4-H children, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts -- and some 30 dairy cows, 300 hogs and 100 sheep that sit and wait to parade in front of crowds that can reach 10,000 in one day.
When the fair ends today, livestock sales will have raised almost $275,000 to continue the program, said Mr. Herron, a retired school administrator.
Not only does the fair board have to deal with the often tedious job of counting people and animals, booth operators must do the same with their food. Many vendors said they show up early, just to see what they have.
Patty Schwartz and her husband, Jim, bought 3,500 plates for their funnel cakes. In six days, they used 900 pounds of cake mix and 175 pounds of sugar.
Across from Mrs. Schwartz, Becky Jones pours syrup for her shaved ice. On her wall, 50 gallons of syrup are neatly placed on shelves. Her booth has gone through 180 12-pound blocks of ice, she said. Although keeping track of inventory can be frustrating, Mrs. Schwartz said she has the best job at the fair.
"I think this is the only job in the world where everyone you see is in a happy mood," the Georgetown resident said. "It's hard work, but I still want to get up every day and do it again."
More than 75,000 people are expected to have spent at least one day at the fair, Mr. Herron said.
The only thing he can't count is the number of hours he spent preparing for the week.
"Well, you can do everything," he said. "Let's just say, "a lot.' "
