(Enlarge) Lynn Richardson, a commercial photographer, sits in her Rossville home June 21 holding a picture taken at the Perry Hall/White Marsh Town Fair. A formidable fundraiser, she has been chairwoman of the fair for the past six years and co-chair the past two. (Staff photo by Nicole Martyn)

Is it her passion for seeing community involvement firsthand? Or perhaps she likes handling the unexpected. Or maybe it's just the satisfaction of pleasing people that keeps Lynn Richardson chairing the Perry Hall/White Marsh Town Fair.

Richardson has been a part of the town fair since its inception.

The fun began in 1997 when then-Perry Hall Business Association president Don Bollhorst got the notion that his town ought to have a summer fair just like Towson and Bel Air.

Richardson, another past president of the business group, inherited the chairmanship role from Bollhorst. This is her sixth year in the job, the second with the aid of co-chair Auggie Chesser.

"Previously, I had only raised money," Richardson said, making it evident why she was the choice to take over the gig. As a commercial photographer in her day job, she's the official fair photographer, too.

That first fair was held at Perry Hall Middle School, attracting 3,000 to 4,000 visitors and 30 to 40 vendors, she recalls. By last year, attendance had grown to 15,000 and Richardson anticipates more than 130 vendors at this year's fair on July 11.

"It's never the same way twice," said the energetic Richardson. This year, for instance, the fair will feature a new 17-foot, giant blow-up slide as well as a cash and gift certificate grab booth.

There also will be a misting tent, built by Richardson herself from a kit, with clouds of mist that can cool overheated fair-goers without dampening their enthusiasm. A "really good" young local band named "A Futuristic Beautiful" will entertain, and, to make sure the event also gets its share of loot, an ATM.

"The fair pays for itself," she said with satisfaction; "Any leftover money goes back to the groups who help, like the Kiwanis and Boy Scouts."

Despite the current state of the economy, Richardson was able to sign up five new sponsors this year. Sponsorship is one of the programs she began.

Similarly, "getting items for the silent auction was the easiest thing we've done this year," she reported.

While the children's area is, as ever, the centerpiece of the fair, Richardson is focusing on the community section of the fair.

"One of my personal goals is to fill the Community Circle with organizations of interest -- Maryland National Guard, Lions Club, Red Cross, State Parks' Scales & Tales, State Police K-9 unit, County Rec and Parks -- then I can quit," Richardson said, laughing.

"I wouldn't have done it for this long if I didn't like it," she said. "One day I'll go as a visitor," but not just yet.

Richardson loves to see the community involvement -- for the fair, she coordinates about 70 volunteer members from schools, church groups, philanthropies and other organizations.

"Perry Hall and White Marsh still have that little town feel," Richardson said.

The 1997 fair showed a lot of people could come together on a grand scale, leading to other community efforts such as the celebration in 2000 of the 225th anniversary of Perry Hall's founding, the purchase and preservation of Perry Hall Mansion, the concert series, Halloween parade and new library which opened last spring, according to David Marks, a member of the fair committee as well as president of the Perry Hall Improvement Association and author of a history of the town.

Of course, Richardson noted, every year something unexpected happens at the fair. Last year the power on stage went out and for an hour no one could find the technician; another year the Baltimore County Police marine team had to leave to do a rescue.

Richardson suffered a heat stroke two years ago (it was her own fault, she admitted; she didn't drink enough water), but nonetheless she isn't wishing for a balmy day, just a dry one. There's no rain date, but in the dozen previous years one has never been necessary.

Keep your fingers crossed, she said.

Since the fair didn't start out at Perry Hall High, it's not a long-standing tradition that will broken if the fun moves to another location next year. A possible move is a consequence of enforcement of a school district rule prohibiting profit-making vendors on school property.

What would be the new location for 2010? Richardson and company have yet to find a new site, but no one's worrying about that quite yet.

The Town Fair will take place July 11 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. A shuttle bus that runs every 10 minutes will ferry fair-goers to and from the Perry Hall Middle School and Faith Fellowship Church parking lots between the hours of 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m..

To enjoy the anticipation, go to the Web site www.phwmba.org and click on Town Fair.

user comments (1)

user davidmarks1 says...

Thank you for this nice article. Lynn Richardson has indeed been the driving force behind this outstanding community event. We owe a lot to her!

Posted 9:32 AM, 06.25.09

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