Monday, January 18, 2010

Lions Fair Again Takes Top N.C.Honors

The 2009 Lee Regional Fair sponsored by the Sanford Lions Club has again won top honors from the North Carolina Association of County Fairs. The group recently held its annual convention in Raleigh and representatives from the local service club were present to accept two of the most prestigious awards give by the association.

Lions President-elect Marvin Joyner and Fair Director Ronnie Turner displayed the plaques for club members at the weekly meeting Thursday, Jan. 14. For the third year the Sanford event won the Image Award for overall excellence among county agricultural fairs in the state. It also captured the Agriculture Award presented each year by Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler for outstanding service in representing the state’s farming and agri-business economy.

Turner said the repeated wins by the Lee Regional Fair demonstrate the hard work and commitment by the Sanford Lions Club to this project that provides funds to help the blind, sight and hearing impaired, and disadvantaged youth. And for another year it means that other fair sponsors across North Carolina will be shooting to knock the Lee Regional Fair off the top perch, Turner added. But planning never stops for the local fall event and the 2010 fair will be bigger and better than ever.

The club heard a fascinating program on one of the country’s largest growers and suppliers of fruits and vegetables to consumers. Program Chairman was Dale Hulsey who has spent a long career in the poultry industry while the guest speaker was his son, Nicholas Hulsey, a sales specialist with L&M Companies based in Raleigh.

L&M operates internationally growing, harvesting, processing, packaging and shipping fruits and vegetables all over North and South America. Whether its apples, eggplant, corn, peppers, melons, beans, strawberries, cherries and even some produce many have never heard of of, this company brings it to major markets and grocery stores for the consumer.

Hulsey, a graduate of Lee County High School and N.C. State University, showed a slide and video presentation illustrating several aspects of the companies work. He discussed the important objective of getting fresh produce from the field to market as quickly as possible and the latest technology used. Of course, Mother Nature always has an upper hand such as the recent frigid weather that will limit some produce from Florida thus leaving suppliers dependent on California or Central American yields where added transportation costs result in rising prices.

President-elect Marvin Joyner presided at the meeting. Dale Hulsey gave the invocation and Bucky Phillips led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance.

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