Edinburg, Virginia native John Pence is an avid supporter and fan of the Shenandoah County Fair, which kicked off its 106th edition Monday, Aug. 25 and continues at the grounds in Woodstock, Virginia through Saturday, Aug. 30. Pence is so avid in fact that he hasn't missed a day at the fair in 60 years. And he's not just an attendee. Since 1974 -- when the head of the fair's harness racing committee told him to get on a tractor and "go for it" -- Pence has been an integral part of the track crew that prepares the half-mile oval for four days of harness racing every August. This week, he will celebrate 50 years in that role.
"My parents were avid fairgoers and that just extended to me," he said. "That's the way we were raised. Not just me, but lots of people around here. The fair was a big deal. It may not be as exciting as it used to be but it's still very nice to come to the fair. Back in the '60s and '70s, I could tell you everybody that walked up and down the midway. Now, if I know two to four per cent of the people, that would be a lot, but that's mainly because the area has grown. It's still the biggest get-together in this county and needs to keep getting bigger and better.
"People's attitudes about fairs are changing," he continued. "I don't believe people are as serious about them as they used to be. There's still a lot of kids that want to be involved and they need to have every opportunity to participate. The roots of the fair are in agriculture and we need to hang onto that. It's like a summary of the year as far how good you've done raising your crops and livestock. You get a chance to show off what you've accomplished and the work involved. Kids need to focus on things like that, especially in today's world. Interest in the fair needs to be cultivated. The people I grew up around a set work ethic and I've always tried to follow that."
Harness racing has a rich county fair tradition in Woodstock that goes back 106 years at its current location -- and even several decades prior when races were held pre-fair. Pence is five decades into his track crew duties, but interestingly, he was never a big horse or even a horse racing fan per se.
"I've sold horse trailers and worked on the track," he said, "but never rode a horse."
Purses for fair harness races have risen from $150 when Pence started, to $2,000 per race now. The Virginia Equine Alliance, which conducts the Shenandoah Downs spring and fall pari-mutuel meets at the fairgrounds and has invested over $1 million into the track surface itself over the last 10 years, pays out an average $60,000 a day in purse money. Pence has been intimately involved with the Downs operation too, helping out with the track and grounds upkeep since 2017.
"Track upkeep is hard work," said Pence. "I have enjoyed the challenge of keeping it in shape for horsemen so they can go out and do well. That is a very gratifying aspect. When we set the Shenandoah Downs track record here in 1:51.4, I felt I was a part of that. Of course you've got to have a good horse, but if the track was right, we did our job."
Pence was asked about racing-specific changes he's seen in his five decades.
"It's hard to explain," he said. "Back in the day, the demolition derby and tractor pull were both held on the track the two evenings before four days of harness racing started. We'd finally get to start prepping the track Tuesday night after the demolition derby was over -- with very little equipment. It was a long night. Once or twice, we had to start the harness races late the next day because I was behind. It was a different world back then. It was just the water truck man and me and that was the extent of it. Most of the participants then were local farmers and the purses were $150 or $200. They were all good people and it was like a family. Today, horsemen travel from many miles away to race here. It's a different ballgame. It's still like a family now but it's not as close as it was back then. It's more competitive because there's more money involved. Farmers that raced here were tickled to death when they won. It was a source of pride when you won, more so than the purse money."
The Shenandoah County Fair is the only fair in the state of Virginia that hosts harness racing during its annual weeklong run. The Wednesday through Saturday racing schedule has been a staple for decades.
"There's definitely a sense of pride in that too," said Pence. "The fact that Woodstock has been the summer home of harness racing for so long means something. Changes happen though and that's just the way of life. People change, the fair changes, purse money changes, everything changes. But after all these years, it's still the fair and it's still the racetrack."
Pence will be recognized for his service between harness races during the Wednesday, Aug. 27 program. The eight-race card goes to post at 12 noon.
The fair meet continues with daily cards on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Acclaimed race caller Roger Huston will call the action the first three days. One lucky fan each day will win a chance to "Own a Horse for a Day" courtesy of the Virginia Harness Horse Association. Winners will return on Sunday, Sept. 14 during the Shenandoah Downs' opening weekend and will each "own" a horse in a $5,000 USD race -- and keep the purse money it earns. Details are at shenandoahdowns.com.
(Shenandoah County Fair)