by Denny Banister
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Having a job requiring you to work in the public eye for 11 days, with all the rest of the year dedicated to just preparing for those 11 days, seems like a dream job – but directing the Missouri State Fair is anything but a dream job. In fact, being the director of a state fair is a job very few qualify for and actually last in the position long enough to make it a lifelong career.
Marion Lucas recently announced his intention to retire from his position as Missouri State Fair Director. Lucas was first named to the position in 1981, and remained with the Missouri State Fair until 1986 when he was lured away by Iowa to become director of the Iowa State Fair. Lucas worked as director of the Iowa State Fair for 16 years before retiring to Arizona.
No one knows for sure why Lucas came out of retirement – perhaps like a retired heavyweight champ, he knew he had another good fight or two left. Regardless of the reason, Missouri was the better for it, even though the champ’s comeback was limited to two years.
As a consummate professional, Lucas did not ride off into the sunset after announcing his retirement at the end of the 2008 State Fair – that would have been too easy. Instead, he is staying on to train his successor in the tedious business of finalizing the 2008 Missouri State Fair, working with the new Governor and General Assembly in Jefferson City when they take over in January, and helping with all the preparation and negotiations to prepare his successor to be ready for the 2009 Missouri State Fair.
In a sense, directing the Missouri State Fair is like managing the St. Louis Cardinals. All of Tony La Russa’s preparation and work done in the off-season and before the game isn’t publicized, but everything that goes wrong during the short span of the game falls in his lap. When the Cardinals win, the manager is never the star of the game. He made the decision to send a substitute batter to the plate, but it’s the hitter who hit the winning home run who gets all the glory.
Similarly, all of Marion Lucas’ preparation and work in the off-season and before the fair isn’t publicized, and the Missouri State Fair Director is seemingly responsible for everything that goes wrong during the course of the fair, including the weather. At the conclusion of a successful fair, you won’t read accolades for the good work done by the director. He made the decision to hire an up-and-coming band to make an appearance during the fair, but it was the big name talent in the grandstand who made the hit.
What we’ll miss most about Marion Lucas, however, has nothing to do with the grandstand events everyone remembers – Marion Lucas had the ability to look beyond the critics and see the Missouri State Fair from the eyes of the fair-goers. He worked to keep prices down, especially during this year of high gas prices which threatened attendance. He worked to keep the fair clean – even the carnival midway was noticeably cleaner and more attractive.
Most of all, Marion Lucas worked to keep the Missouri State Fair the showcase for Missouri agriculture that it is. The Missouri State Fair has not forgotten its roots under Lucas’ direction, and we hope his legacy will continue. Thanks, Marion.
(Denny Banister, of Jefferson City, is the assistant director of public affairs for the Missouri Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farm organization.)