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Saturday, July 25, 2009
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Faring well New county fair manager Hesse overwhelmed but confident as the big production approaches Staff Writer Stephen Hesse never thought he'd be the new face of the Crow Wing County Fair.
The 58-year-old rural Brainerd man is the new general manager of the county fair. Hesse succeeds Dale Domrase, who retired in January after about nine years of running the county fair. Hesse took the part-time post March 9.
Hesse, who retired in 2007, did not anticipate taking the fair job. He didn't even apply for it. Hesse said a friend, Louis Hoffman, mentioned his name to the Crow Wing County Fair Board and the board thought Hesse would be a good fit.
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Stephen Hesse of rural Brainerd recently talked about his role as the new Crow Wing County Fair general manager.
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Brainerd Dispatch/Kelly Humphrey
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Board president Dan Thesing called Hesse to see if he'd be interested and Hesse said his first words were, "I don't think so." Another board member, Tom Malloy, tried to recruit Hesse and after a couple of calls Hesse was hooked.
"They told me several times that the job is not hard and that all the board members would help me," said Hesse. "I've never done anything like this before. They all thought I'd be good at the job because of my people skills so I told them I'd try it out and see how it goes."
Hesse said the first month was overwhelming and cold because the administration building was not heated. By April and May, he got his feet wet and he had an easier time learning the job.
Hesse's main responsibility is to manage the county fairgrounds and all the activities that take place on it, including the circus that comes every year, various rallies and the main, big event, the county fair. Hesse also manages the maintenance workers at the fairgrounds and the estimated $100,000 operating budget.
Hesse currently is busy getting final preparations ready for the county fair set Aug. 4-8.
Stephen Hesse
- Family: Wife, Denise, with five adult children and two teenagers.
- Pets: Three horses, three dogs, two cats, ducks and chickens.
- Favorite fair activity: The horse and cattle shows.
- Favorite fair food: The Brainerd Fire Department brats.
- Favorite movies: "Dances with Wolves" and "Wizard of Oz."
- Something people don't know about you: "I've been doing my family history since 1981 and the book is 10-inches thick."
- Recent trip: "My brother and I went to Europe for four weeks and went all over to Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, France, Holland, Denmark, Scotland, England. We traveled by train, bus and we walked. We looked up our family's village and visited it.
"... The highlight of the trip was for the first time my brother and I fished on a 16-foot boat off a bay in Ireland by ourselves. For those four hours I wasn't sure if I'd survive. The waves were 6-feet tall."
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"It amazes me, all the work that goes on behind the fair and all the contacts there are," Hesse said Tuesday in his office in the administration building at the fairgrounds. "This fair book which is this big (as he points to it) is the bible.
"I'm still overwhelmed with what needs to be done, but I'm confident that it'll get done. Next year will be easier."
Hesse graduated from St. Peter's Catholic High School in Maplewood in 1968 and he earned a bachelor's degree from the University of St. Thomas in 1972 in sociology. Hesse was in the Air Force and Reserve from 1972-76 and was twice deployed overseas.
Hesse worked as a corrections officer in Stillwater and Lino Lakes for 17 years. Then in 1986, Hesse moved to Brainerd to become a business agent with American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees union.
Hesse said, "The fair is the jewel in this community. I was on the road a lot with my previous job so I didn't come to the fair a lot. Now it's my time to give back to the community and run the fairgrounds. The Crow Wing County Fair is one of the top five fairs in the state and we hope this will continue. This is one of only a few fairs where people get in free."
Hesse said he wants to keep the fair open to the public at no charge, but said the economic times make it tough. Hesse said the fair has asked the Oak Lawn Township Board to allow the sale of beer in a fairground's beer garden in order to generate revenue, but the township has denied the request.
Hesse said donations to the fair are down this year because of the economy. For instance, he said Crow Wing County slashed its regular $15,000 donation to $7,000 this year.
JENNIFER STOCKINGER may be reached at jennifer.stockinger@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5851.
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