New Du Quoin Fair manager Woodworth: State' full support is obvious in early going
An administrative aide and publicist at Du Quoin State Fair has been chosen as its manager, the Illinois Department of Agriculture announced Friday.
Shannon Woodworth, 47, fills the vacancy created by the resignation in January of John Rednour Jr. who becomes chairman of his late father's Du Quoin State Bank.
Woodworth, of West Frankfort, has been a familiar face at the fairgrounds since 1999 --14 years --when he went to work on a contractual basis for then-manager Sammye Fark.
Illinois Department of Agriculture spokesman Jeff Squibb said it is a "permanent, full-time position" and he will be paid $71,000 a year.
Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Bob Flider drove down from Springfield Friday morning to assemble the fair's staff and make the announcement in the administrative offices beneath the grandstand.
Woodworth follows a lineage of managers since the State of Illinois' purchase of the fair from the Saad Jabr family in 1986 that includes Mike Dubois, Sammye Fark, Ron Summers and Rednour. Rednour had been manager for the last 11 years.
"The Du Quoin State Fairgrounds is an incredible economic engine for all of Southern Illinois," Woodworth said. "I have always been honored to be a part of the great team of dedicated employees who make this engine run. To now be manager of the fairgrounds is, obviously, a great, great honor, but the success here has and always will be a team effort."
"Shannon is very knowledgeable and passionate about the fair and understands the importance of agriculture to our heritage," Agriculture Director Flider said. "His work has brought hundreds of thousands of dollars in business sponsorships to the fair and I believe he possesses the right skills to ensure the fair remains a showcase for Southern Illinois."
Woodworth said he remembers getting a call in 1999 from former manager Sammye Fark, fair manager during the Governor Ryan administration. "She was looking for someone in media relations," he said. Woodworth is a national award-winning newspaper reporter, photographer and marketing professional, with awards from the Associated Press, National Newspaper Association and the National Council on Marketing & Public Relations (NCMPR). In 2003, Woodworth was awarded a Gold Paragon, a top honor through the NCMPR for the nation's 1,200 community colleges. Woodworth also was chosen to receive an Excellence Award from the Center of Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Leadership at John A. Logan College as an employee in the college's marketing department.
"Working for the fair has been an incredible experience," he said. "When you are around a place long enough good things happen," the soft-spoken Woodworth said.
"When you see families come on this fairgrounds, for some it is their only entertainment and education opportunity. This is one of the great feelings of my life," he said.
"I want to continue to build on the family friendliness of this fair," he said.
The state's financial difficulties during the past decade have struck a note of skepticism about the value the state places on Illinois' "other" state fair.
Woodworth said during his interview in Springfield, he sensed nothing but support for the fair now and in the future. The department knows it is a southern Illinois centerpiece. "I walked away from there feeling there is no question about the level of commitment," said Woodworth. "The director drove down here today in terrible weather," said Woodworth. Former manager Rednour and Illinois Sen. Gary Forby (D-Benton), no doubt, served in an advice and consent role. Woodworth says he will serve "at the will of the governor and department."
Southern Illinois can fall back on the words of the late Du Quoin senator Ralph Dunn about the future of the fair and the state's ownership of it. Dunn once said, "Where else can the sitting administration in Springfield have 300,000 fairgoers as a captive audience for 10 days, particularly in an election year?"
Woodworth commented, "We've got a lot of work to do now." He said he values the fair's relationship with the Illinois Lottery, which has sponsored several high quality grandstand shows. He values the work of the fair's sponsors and Woodworth has cultivated many of those relationships. He will be back in Springfield Tuesday to begin the work ahead.
In recent years, the fair has found itself in a Catch 22 situation, growing attendance by offering a lot of high quality free and discounted entertainment through various sponsorships, but fair revenue suffers because of that. Sponsorships pick up the slack. Yet, non-fair events and revenue have grown exponentially. The fair is fine-tuning the language of a contract for the return of the Street Machine Nationals June 27-29 2014. The Street NATs do not yet show up on the fair's website calendar. The fair will also host the return of the Monster Truck Nationals Feb. 28-March 3 at the Southern Illinois Center.
As a volunteer, Woodworth has overseen the Black Diamond Harley-Davidson Scholarship Program since its start five years ago, helping to give out more than $250,000 to graduating high school seniors in Southern Illinois.
Woodworth, who grew up on a farm near the Jefferson County community of Bluford, now lives on the West Frankfort Lake. He has three daughters and one granddaughter. He enjoys hunting and fishing and even created his own bait for catfishing, which he continues to keep a secret.