FARMINGTON – Archie Herrmann scanned a word search as he sat in a chair at the main gate Friday at the Farmington Fair.
A few minutes later a family walked through the door, and a man handed him their admission tickets.
Herrmann, 71, went back to doing his word search.
The Wilton man has been a main gate attendant for 10 years.
“Sitting around waiting is awful nerve-wracking. It makes things go slow and other times you’re so busy you can’t keep up,” Herrmann said. “But the weather has been pretty favorable this year. It’s not too cold. It’s hasn’t been too hot. We’re not getting the crowds like we used to. I think its based on the economy.”
It was sunny and a little windy as a few people passed through the gate midmorning.
There were still hours left before the midway opened at 3 p.m. Today, the midway with all the rides opens at 10 a.m.
The food booths, exhibition hall and animal showing is open throughout the day.
Herrmann said he works from 8 a.m. to closing time each day.
The word search book keeps him occupied, he said.
“You’ve got to have a sense of humor,” Herrmann said.
He’s devised a ticket system that cut back on people trying to sneak in, he said.
There is not as much of that going on now as there used to be, he added.
A list of accepted items, such as a season ticket pass with a sample next, is posted on the wall of the ticket booth.
It’s kind of hard to keep track of people who are allowed in or work there, he said.
“I come in in the morning and go walk around the midway to eyeball who is working there and try to remember faces,” Herrmann said. “After a while you get to know them.”
Sometimes it’s difficult to keep his good mood, he said, because every once in a while someone comes in and is difficult.
“Sometimes it gets kind of hard when you get people giving you a hard time,” he said. “A lot depends on their attitude. One person can spoil it for others. I try to keep an even temper, but I’m just human.”
Comments are no longer available on this story