THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 6, 1996 TAG: 9610040308
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 17 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: COVER STORY
SOURCE: Frank Roberts
LENGTH: 158 lines
PEANUT FEST IS a time for fun, but it takes a lot of dedicated volunteers to create it.
Someone has to be in charge, of course, and the chairpersons who have had that responsibility for lo these 19 years are credited with jobs well done.
The time-consuming task usually offers a feeling of satisfaction once the fest gets going.
By then, most of their work is done and they can enjoy tromping around the festival site watching the visitors enjoying the fruits of their labor.
This is a pat-on-the-back for the chairpersons who offer us a diverse look at what they remember most about the years they were in charge.
1978 and 1979: Daniel C. Frohman and Theodore J. LoCascio.
``The idea of having a festival came from the Chamber of Commerce's Agricultural Committee,'' said Frohman, who was recruited as chairman. ``I said I wouldn't do it alone, so we found Ted LoCascio - retired and perfect for the job. We did it together two years with the generosity of many corporate sponsorswho carried the deficit.''
The two things he remembers are the Elizabeth Taylor visit and the ``rain, mud and more rain.
``I thought we had lost all our arts and crafts people when they had to move into the large tent used for the Shrimp Feast the night before,'' Frohman said. ``I had to rake the shrimp shells from the entire area, but it still reeked of shrimp. The (artisans) were not happy campers.''
He refers to the first two years as a time of experiment - to find out ``whatworked and what didn't. Those were fun years for Ted and me. They even drove us around in a TRT bus and gave us the best seats in the house,'' Frohman said - ``in spite of the rain, the mud and the wind.''
1980: Arthur E. Jones was chairman. He died in 1995.
1981: James F. Panton introduced fireworks and the petting zoo.
``I sat down with Gordon Borrell (a Virginian-Pilot reporter) and told him I was going to leave things the same. He said - any changes? I said I'd like fireworks. I also said I wanted the petting zoo.
``It was in the Sun Thursday. Friday, I got a call from Lt. Bill Dunning (Suffolk Police Department) who read the article and said it takes a permit - almost from God.''
Dunning said he had ``contacts, a place to store the fireworks and the expertise to fire 'em off. When the first fireworks went off, I actually cried. It was beautiful. I thought of all the little kids being able to see them. That - and the farm animals - for kids who were never close to a sheep or cow.
``I still believe the festival is for the family.''
1982: Charles R. Henderson Jr. was chairman for the year which, he said, ``was the most heavily attended of the five festivals.''
The Talent Show was moved from Suffolk High School to the site.
``Threatening weather added an additional element of suspense to the show,'' Henderson said. ``Through good luck, it didn't rain until everyone had left the site.''
The Harvest Festival Dance, once held in the National Guard Armory, was also switched to the fest site. The idea was to enable the guests to see the fireworks.
``There was one slight problem,'' Henderson said. ``The restrooms in the hangar proved inadequate and there was a steady stream of uncomfortable dancers heading to the port-a-johns at the festival site.''
1983 and 1984: Lester Mansfield remembered, ``five or six of us starting the festival. The Chamber had it. They were in the red. I brought 'em out of it my first year. The second year, I left them some money.
``I'm happy knowing I had a hand in bringing it back to life.''
1985: W. D. Holly Jr. remembered going from ``10,000 visitors the year before to about 100,000.
``And we had the airport runways - not as much mud,'' he said. ``Another thing - it used to be Harvest Festival. I was the guy who changed the name to Peanut Fest.''
1986: R. Eley Duke was chairman for the ninth edition. He died in 1989.
1987: Gail F. Pruden's favorite contribution was bringing in ``the racing pigs - so right for a family festival. The pigs have so much personality. There was a crowd for every race.''
She also improved the children's activity area by offering ``musical and theatrical presentations, strolling magicians, games, a fishin' hole.''
1988: Herman W. Bunch Jr. had a slightly controversial presentation, one which drew the ire of a few animal lovers.
``This was the year of the Diving Mules. A highlight was seeing a mule make the first jump. It was a safe landing.
``I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders after the first jump,'' said Bunch, noting that the animals appeared happy. ``From that point on, I was satisfied with the event.''
1989: G. Harden Barnett Jr. was also involved with animals.
``I recruited the rodeo and it's been with us ever since,'' he said. ``I also had - as you well know - the women mud wrestlers.
``That was not one of the proudest moments of Peanut Fest, but one we laugh about,'' Barnett said. ``Herman Bunch had a neck brace on for a long time.''
(Note: This mud wrestling reporter was almost put out of commission. Those gals - the Chicago Knockers - were rough.)
1990: Wayne Evans said he initiated ``the demolition derby which has proved to be a success. And, this was the year we were threatened with a hurricane.
``We talked to city officials, tent companies and others about closing the site Friday night because the storm was supposed to hit early Saturday,'' he said. ``If we had taken down the tents the festival would have been over. We took our chances, left them up. The storm went around us. We had two beautiful days.''
1991: Wayne Smith got rid of the bottlenecks. ``I widened the walkway from 8 to 16 feet. And, we set the tents about 4 feet more off the walkway for the families coming through. We tried to re-arrange the site and make it flow better.
``We also put a major emphasis on family entertainment,'' he said. ``We brought in some good headliner entertainment acts, nicer family shows and Sunday gospel.''
The gospel music had been offered in the morning - Smith made it an all-day affair.
One more thing: ``We doubled the money we spent on fireworks.''
1992: Sandy Eure Blowe introduced the theme ``Best of the Past'' which included the return of the peanut dress, originated during Harvest Festival Days in 1942.
``Betty Pretlow wore the original. Her granddaughter, Denson Pretlow, wore a similar dress 50 years later.''
Blowe honored her 14 predecessors with a ceremony at the Queen's Luncheon, presenting them with commemorative gifts.
1993: Thomas C. Andrews Jr. He, too, was plagued by rain.
``Some events had to be canceled Sunday. The upbeat spirit and attitude of the Fest staff and the citizens kept things rolling.''
Andrews remembers these special events: Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Foundation replica of the turret of the USS Monitor, Planters Hot Air Balloon, the tractor pull, and the unforgettable Oscar Meyer Wienermobile.
1994: Roberta Bunch, whose husband, Herman, chaired the '88 event, remembers that ``the years preceding the 1994 festival had brought at least one bad weather day. The 1995 festival was almost washed away. I enjoyed four gorgeous days.''
She enjoyed Gloria Gaither's message at the Prayer Breakfast, noting the results of her inspirational message: ``Grown men cried. I sobbed.''
Bunch recalls taking her 80-year-old father ``for a ride on the Gravedigger monster truck. It was the first time we had brought this event.''
She also remembers ``the `tough' guys from the Marshall Tucker Band asking if I could, please, get them a ride on the Gravedigger. After, they came back to me so excited - asking if they could have their picture made'' with the truck.
``I also remember watching the balloon man sail over the 5,000-plus people at the Shrimp Feast. He never came back. I kept asking where the balloon man went.''
1995: This was the year seven former chairpersons shared the job.
Memories - memories. Did you remember some of the things the Fest leaders recalled? ILLUSTRATION: Photos
Frohman
LoCascio
Jones
Panton
Henderson
Mansfield
Holly
Duke
Pruden
Bunch
Barnett
Evans
Smith
Blowe
Andrews
Bunch by CNB