INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — For 19 consecutive years, Toby Turner stood at the gate of the Indian River County fairgrounds, on every single night of the Firefighters’ Fair at closing time. As general manager of the fair, Turner said watching attendees leave the grounds with smiles on their faces was his biggest reward.
For over a decade prior to his 19-year stint as manager, Turner waved to fair goers as they filed out in car loads from the parking lot. In fact, Turner has been heavily involved in the Firefighters’ Fair since it’s inception in 1980.
Though this year’s exceptionally successful fair will not be the last Turner participates in, he will be passing his general manager torch and all of the responsibility that goes with it off to former concessions manager Wayne Howard.
“He’s been with the program for a long time and is a Lieutenant with the Fire Department,” Turner said of his successor. “He has the managerial skills, business skills and leadership skills it takes.”
But when asked if he thought Howard was ready to take on the massive task, Turner laughed and said, “Ready? I don’t know if anyone can be ready. He’ll figure it out when he gets started.”
Turner’s long-standing assistant manager Rod Johnston is retiring from his position at the fair as well, turning his title over to Steve Graul, a former committee member, board member, and Indian River County native who grew up attending the Firefighters’ Fair.
“This is a bittersweet end for me,” Johnston said of his fair retirement. “I really, thoroughly, enjoy doing this. We may get four to five hours of sleep each night, our feet may hurt, knees hurt, and back hurt by the end of it, but what we’re able to give back to the community makes it all worth it.”
Howard and Graul say they are both prepared to pick up right where Turner and Johnston are leaving off. The group of four worked tightly together for years up to this point. And, this year in particular, Howard and Graul shadowed their predecessors in order to soak up everything they could.
“I don’t think you can ever say you’re really ready for something like this,” Howard said. “But there has been a lot of learning for me. We have a great team working with us and that’s all we can really ask for.”
According to Turner, planning usually begins eight to nine months before opening day of the fair, making the event a nearly full-time responsibility. Even though each year brings changes and adaptations to the fair, Turner said it has been his top priority to keep the event family friendly.
“Toby’s shoes are big ones to fill,” Graul said. “But Wayne and I will work together to continue what Toby has done, and build in areas that we can.”
He added that the focus on keeping the fair family friendly and community oriented will not change just because the baton has been passed.
Turner and Johnston are leaving their leadership positions on a high note. The first Saturday of this year’s fair smashed every record in the event’s history attracting more than 9,000 people. The prior record was around 6,100, according to Turner.
Even though they will be able to kick their feet up a little more often in preparation for next year’s fair, Turner and Johnston both said they will still be involved. But as the lights went out at the Firefighters Fair this year, Turner was able to say he was happy to hand over the reigns.