When the New Holland Farmers Day Association Fair held its volunteer appreciation banquet in November 2021, board member Barbara Beears, who works with department chairs and organizes the fair guide, was presented the annual Friend of the Fair award by Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture representative Laura England.

Beears, who has served on the New Holland Fair board since she was 13, began helping her mother, Lucille Weaver, with exhibits at the New Holland Elementary School, Trinity Lutheran Church, and Rubinson's Department Store, decades ago. But in all her years of involvement with the fair, Beears said her biggest challenge was finding volunteers during the fall of 2021. "This year was hard because of COVID-19," said Beears. "We had to scramble to try to get help."

Beears recalled that before the fair organization purchased the building at the corner of Franklin Street and Roberts Avenue, the exhibit display cases were moved from a storage area the Sunday prior to the start of the fair and set up at the exhibit locations. "It was a lot of work," she said, noting that the Sunday after the fair closed, all the displays were dismantled and returned to storage. Beears also served at the banquet when it was held at the New Holland and Blue Ball fire companies, before those organizations merged into Garden Spot Fire Rescue.

More than a decade ago, Beears attended an organizational meeting and learned that volunteers were needed to join the board. "My children were done with school, and I was looking for something to do," said Beears, who approached the fair's then-president, Warren Peachey. Soon after, Peachey brought her a box and asked her to see if it was something she would enjoy doing. "That's how I got involved," said Beears, who noted that the box contained items related to the exhibits and the fair book. Beears specifically works with department chairs for baked goods, handicrafts, models, needlework, canning, jellies, art and photography, fruit and vegetables, and flowers.

A press release sent by the New Holland Fair said that "no job has ever been too big or too small for Barb, which is why she knows everything related to our fair." Beears admitted that her years of experience come in handy when new ideas are presented because she knows if they have been tried before. She recalled how the country line dancing started and the addition of entertainment on the truck-bed stage near the corner of Franklin and Railroad.

Beears noted that she was very surprised to receive the award. Before her name was announced, she listened to the description of the winner, and believed another woman had won. But then the speaker referred to her brothers, and she knew the other woman had no brothers. When the fair book was mentioned, Beears realized she was the winner.

"I've met a lot of nice people," said Beears of her years volunteering with the fair. "There are a lot of nice people in New Holland."

More information about the fair may be found at http://www.newhollandfair.org or by searching for "New Holland Fair" on Facebook.