The Rockingham County Fair has been selected to receive three Awards of Distinction from the International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE).
Two of the honors relate to excellence in agricultural programs while the other award is for having the best Fair website. The competition involved more than 1,100 Fairs around the world.
The awards were presented to Rockingham County Fair President Donnie Liskey on December 9, 2014 during the 124th annual IAFE Convention in Las Vegas.
“It is a great accomplishment for the Fair and the volunteers who helped pull this off,” said Liskey. “Our commitment to agriculture should be obvious to all since our theme this year was ‘2014 -‐ Year of the Farm Family.’
Winning entries for the Rockingham County Fair include:
• 1st place -‐ Overall Program for Competitive Agricultural Exhibitors
• 1st place – What was newly established at your Fair to promote agriculture (2014 poultry project)
• 1st place – Fair Website
“We are pleased that our organization has been recognized once again by a global organization for our efforts to keep agriculture at the forefront of the Rockingham County Fair,” said Jeff Ishee, gm of the Rockingham County Fair Association. “Winning first place in any competition is special, but taking the top spot amongst this group of esteemed colleagues is a great honor.”
Similar-‐size Fairs who competed with the Rockingham County Fair this year in various categories include the Arizona National Livestock Show, the Canyon County Fair in Idaho, the Adams County Fair in Colorado, and the Herkimer County Fair in New York.
Virginia Poultry Federation President Hobey Bauhan said he was pleased the 2014 poultry industry project received national attention. “Poultry is the largest sector of Virginia agriculture, and I commend Rockingham County Fair Association for creating a first-‐class facility that displays our industry’s rich history and how we help feed the world today.”
International award competition is divided into 5 divisions based on Fair attendance. The entries are evaluated and judged by a team of industry leaders. These individuals are selected from the membership of International Association of Fairs and Expositions, which has over 1,100 members around the globe.