Opinion Column: Why is the Georgia National Fair in Perry?

Profile picture for user Dink NeSmith

Profile picture for user Dink NeSmith

By Dink NeSmith on Saturday, October 14, 2023
  • Larry Walker Jr. spent 32 years in the Georgia House of Representatives. One of many achievements was to persuade the General Assembly and the governor to build improved fair facilities. In this 1985 photo, Gov. Joe Frank Harris, center, signs the legislation creating the Georgia Agricenter. On the left is Rep. Henry Reaves, chair of the House agriculture committee. On the right is Rep. Larry Walker Jr. The bill paved the way for the Georgia National Fair complex in Perry, Walker’s hometown.
    Larry Walker Jr. spent 32 years in the Georgia House of Representatives. One of many achievements was to persuade the General Assembly and the governor to build improved fair facilities. In this 1985 photo, Gov. Joe Frank Harris, center, signs the legislation creating the Georgia Agricenter. On the left is Rep. Henry Reaves, chair of the House agriculture committee. On the right is Rep. Larry Walker Jr. The bill paved the way for the Georgia National Fair complex in Perry, Walker’s hometown.

    There’s almost always a backstory to the story.

     

    But first, what’s the story?

     

    Down in Middle Georgia — perched on the Gnat Line — the 34th annual Georgia National Fair is expected to draw mor…