Married in 1979 Richard (Stik) and Rachel West will be married 45 years on August 31st.

If you have been a part of the fair for very long, you know that technology has vital role in the everyday functioning and smoothness of its workings, and we have this technology thanks to Rachel and her sister, Janice Parrott. After Stik and Rachel’s children graduated from showing animals and participating in 4H and FFA, Rachel then agreed to come back and work in the Eddy County Fair office f200-2006, stepping down and yet still serving as a lifeline to the office with support for the computers and network.

Rachel is a native of Eddy County, raised outside of Carlsbad by her parents, Jess and Ann Rayroux. Rachel grew up with a love of agriculture and her family. She also has a love for her belief and strength she fins in her church. Rachel not only has an understanding and passion for technology but a very remarkable fact about Rachel is that she was the first person to gain the Microsoft certifications in Carlsbad, which helped her when working for Carlsbad Municipal Schools technology department and then starting her own business.

Stik, born to Richard (Dick) and Glenda West, is also a native to Eddy County. Stik worked for IMC before retiring from WIPP and his position as the lead of the Mine Rescue team. When the couple is not in Timberon, NM, at their cabin, they enjoy spending time in their huge garden, looking after the farm, and checking cattle. The couple was blessed with three children, Tom, Mike (wife Jaclyn), and Chris (wife Ashley), and 6 grandchildren, which are Stik and Rachel’s pride and joy.

The American county fair Is typically a place where agriculture and public involvement are combined, with events such as junior livestock shows offered alongside carnival rides and fried food. The Eddy County fair is one such place, designed with the education and entertainment of the public in mind, according to the president of the Eddy County Fair Board of Directors, Dylan Pinson.

Fairs have been around for centuries, according to the International Association of Fairs and Expos. The first agricultural county fair in the United States was in 1811, and the idea spread throughout the states and territories throughout the century.

This year, the Eddy County Fair begins its 79th iteration. The fair originally consisted of its characteristic livestock shows but has since grown to include more opportunities for the public to get involved, according to Pinson.

“We’ve always been focused on the kids and their livestock projects, and now we’re working on the public side of that and the entertainment side to bring the public out,” Pinson said. “The kids work extremely hard on their projects, but this is the opportunity for the rural and the urban to come together and learn about the livestock projects, [which] is what the whole purpose of the fair is.”

The fair has remained true to its roots with the junior livestock sale being the largest in the state of New Mexico, Pinson said.

“That really brings competition, and it really brings high quality animals,” Pinson said.

The revenue from the livestock sale has been over $1 million for the past several years, Pinson said. Last year, the revenue from the junior livestock sale at the New Mexico State Fair, the largest fair in the state, was $710,090, according to KRQE News.

Pinson said the quality of livestock is what sets the Eddy County Fair apart from other fairs and is part of the impact on the community.

The livestock sale is rewarding for the kids who raise the animals because they get to see the culmination of their hard work, Pinson said.

“They’ve had those animals and they’re working on every single day raising up, training them and growing them,” Pinson said. “It’s their summer activity. And then for them to come to the fair, then they have an opportunity to exhibit it and then sell it.”

The result of the participants’ hard work in raising the animals is an environment where the community can come together, Pinson said. The livestock sale is also rewarding for the public who can learn about agriculture through the shows, he said.

Livestock is a large part of New Mexico’s agriculture industry. According to a 2022 census by the National Agricultural Statistics Service, that year farms and ranches in the state sold $2.95 billion in agricultural products, with 70% of sales being livestock.

The fair board has been determined to accommodate the public interest in the fair, with expansions on the way like a new livestock building, Pinson said.

“We’re really focused on building something that fits the growth and fits what the community wants,” Pinson said.

Pinson advocated for people attending the fair, citing livestock shows as a way that the public can enjoy the fair while also supporting the youth of Eddy County.

“We have it all, we just want the community to participate with us,” Pinson said.

Daily Press Writer After a years-long hiatus, the carnival is back at the Eddy County fair, according to Dylan Pinson, president of the Eddy County Fair Board of Directors.

This year, a new company is bringing the carnival to the Eddy County Fair. This is the first year since the previous company went out of business that the fair board was able to find a company that could accommodate the fair on its route, Pinson said.

“I don’t think we’ve had a carnival for five years and we’ve been fighting to try and get one for the past five years,” Pinson said.

The carnival will be the largest at the Eddy County Fair yet, said Pinson.

“The carnival is huge,” Pinson said. “It is the biggest carnival that our team has ever had come through here.”

The new company, Wright’s Amusements, is bringing over 25 rides, according to the fair’s Facebook page. The company travels yearround to events throughout Colorado, New Mexico, Arkansas and Texas, according to its website.

The carnival will be running from Tuesday through Saturday evenings, Pinson said.

Aren Dade, a volunteer who works with the fair board and entertainment committee, said that people are excited for the carnival to be back at the fair this year. For the past few years, when the fair board was unable to secure a carnival for the fair, people wanted to see it come back, he said.

“I’ve heard from many people that they’re excited for the carnival,” Dade said.

The carnival brings people from communities around Eddy County, especially families with children, Dade said. Pinson said he expects the carnival to bring more than 3,000 people to the fair per night.

Entertainment at the fair this year also includes concerts. This year, the performers are William Clark Green and Easton Corbin on July 25 and John Wolfe on July 26, with a Faith and Family Night concert by Sanctus Real and Josh Wilson on July 24.

Each year, the fair board and its entertainment committee choose the performers based on a list of possible options from management companies they have worked with, Dade said. They begin reaching out to artists around December and January to prepare for the fair in July, looking for country artists who have name recognition to promote attendance, Dade said.

“Being a county fair, we look for more of a country artist,” Dade said. “We do look for at least somebody that, whether it be a Thursday night headliner or a Friday night headliner, somebody that’s got a name that’s a little more recognizable that will help draw in that crowd.” Name recognition draws a crowd to the concerts because people have heard the artist on the radio, for example, and know they want to see them, Dade said. He also added that recognizing an artist’s name may draw people from other places to come to see the fair.

“Getting those bigger names out there, you kind of get a little more excitement from people with that,” Dade said.

The goal of bringing bigname artists to the fair is to generate attendance to support the community, Dade said. The board and entertainment committee look for up and coming artists, artists who are well-known in places like Texas and older artists who can generate a lot of interest, Dade said. Dade emphasized the work that goes into the fair’s junior livestock shows and said that attending the concerts helps support that. He encouraged people to come to the fair not only to watch the concerts, but also to watch the livestock shows and support local vendors.

Other entertainment at the fair will include bull riding, a cornhole tournament, Fire ‘N Ice Competition and the Jack Rauch Anvil Toss.

Looking back 40, 30 and 20 years ago, the following are excerpts from the Artesia Daily Press.

40 years ago July 14-20, 1984

June 13 – boiling gray clouds begin to mass south of Artesia at 5:43 p.m. Counter-clockwise motion of air at 5:40 p.m. heralds development of funnel cloud. Twister first sighted at 5:54 p.m. four miles from city. At 5:47 p.m. funnel starts to dissipate after losing strength. Funnel reforms at 6 p.m., travels three miles and breaks up near Sherrell Acres.

———-Confirmation of connection between Lubbock Lake and Blackwater Draw archeological sites and the discovery of an unusual paint rock have kicked off the 1984 summer research at Lubbock Lake. A rare obsidian point unearthed at the Lubbock Lake National and State Landmark last summer has been identified as belonging to the same source as a piece of obsidian found in the 1950s excavations of Blackwater Draw site near Clovis.

———-The similarity between certain human genes and fruit fly genes that appear to serve a master control function could mean that much of what is known about fruit fly genetics can be applied directly to humans, researchers reported today. “Just by learning more about the processes of early development and early differentiation of the embryo occurring in flies, we’ll be making advances in the understanding of the development of humans,” said Allen Laughon of the University of Colorado at Boulder.

———-Eleven years ago, Sandy and Don Speir became the first man and wife team in New Mexico to enlist in the Army. Two children later, they remain in the military – although a different branch – and plan to stay as long as Uncle Sam will let them. Speir was drawn to the Air Force after earning his degree from New Mexico State University after the Army hitch. He expects promotion to captain by the end of this month on sign-up for another tour of duty. The Speirs, Artesia High School Graduates, recently returned to Minot AFB, N.D. after visiting here.

———-A fired security guard shouted “I’ve killed thousands and I’ll kill thousands more,” as he turned a McDonald’s into a slaughterhouse, shooting 20 people to death before police killed him. It was believed to be the worst one-day massacre by one man in U.S. history. Twenty others were injured, four critically, in Wednesday’s rampage, which lasted 90 minutes before a police marksman felled the gunman, James Oliver Huberty, 41, authorities said. His targets ranged from an infant girl to a 60-yearold woman. ———-Artesia Chamber of Commerce board of directors president Shirley Loop, left, presents the first-place trophy for the winning sheriffs posse in the Pioneer Days Rodeo parade to Eddy County Sheriff Jack Childress, center, and Ross Hyden, vice president and parade marshal of the sheriff’s posse. Lea County Sheriff’s Posse placed second place in the category. Ten members of the Eddy posse participated in the parade Wednesday.

30 years ago July 14-20, 1994

In 90 days, vehicles with tinted windows may be in violation of a new city ordinance. The ordinance concerning tinted windows was approved Tuesday by Artesia City Council. Under the ordinance, no person can drive a vehicle in Artesia where the driver and passengers are not “clearly visible” to an observer 50 feet away through the front window and side door windows. Speaking before the council, Police Chief Ernest Chavez stated the ordinance would help the safety of officers.

———-North Eddy County Crimestopper coordinator Pat Childress places a Crimestoppers’ bumper sticker on a vehicle. The program will soon conduct a fund raiser, the first one in 10 years, to replace funds given out in rewards. In 10 years of operation, the program has led to the arrest and conviction of 57 defendants, recovered more than $34,650 in stolen property and $7,700 in narcotics.

———-Intel Corp. has agreed to eliminate odors that some nearby Corrales residents contend have made them sick. The agreement was reached between the giant computer chip maker and the Corrales Residents for Clean Air and Water, a grass roots group that had complained about the odor. The group sent a letter Thursday asking the state Environment Department to use the agreed-upon conditions as part of the state’s draft permit. The permit is expected to allow Intel to eliminate an odor that has triggered two years of complaints and controversy about plant emissions.

———-Steve Markl, left, teacher- principal at Penasco School, and Karen Jackson of Hobbs are shown performing an experiment in the chemistry lab at Eastern New Mexico University. They were among 16 public school teachers from New Mexico to participate in the science portion of the Hands-On Science and Mathematics Institute at ENMU in Portales. The workshop was designed to dispel the fear of chemistry among teachers and show how hands-on chemistry can be incorporated into a science curriculum.

———-The mark left on Jupiter’s clouds by fragments of a comet is the most prominent feature ever observed on the face of the solar system’s largest planet, an astronomer said today. Steve Maran, an astronomer at the Goddard Space Flight Center, said a check of historical records dating back to 1610 show there is no previous recording of Jovian features as large as the scars left by the comet pieces. The black scar left by fragment G of the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet is “visually the most prominent discreet spot seen on Jupiter ever,” Maran told an earlier morning news conference.

20 years ago July 14-20, 2004

An employee from Wade Construction cleans the common area of Artesia High School after today’s completion of a wall that covers most of the ceiling-tofloor glass windows that have been in place for many years. According to Assistant AHS Principal Jim Moor, the wall is part of the five-year improvement plan for the school.

———-The Bureau of Indian Affairs United States Indian Police Academy graduated its 100th class at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center today. The ceremony was held outside in the new BIA memorial and hundreds of family members and loved ones from all over the United States attended to watch the class of 28 cadets receive their diplomas after 16 weeks of training.

———-Drug enforcement officials marked a major milestone in a year-long drug investigation in southeastern New Mexico with the arrest Tuesday of 21 individuals on drug-related charges. Ten Artesians were among those arrested in the operation, which is believed to have helped undermine an organization responsible for the major portion of methamphetamine distribution in southeast New Mexico. According to a Pecos Valley Drug Task force press release, more than 20 pounds of methamphetamine were seized.

———-Consumer prices rose a modest 0.3 percent in June, half the size of the previous month’s advance and fresh evidence that inflation poses no immediate threat to the economy. The over-the-month increase in the Consumer Price Index followed a 0.6 percent spike in May, reflecting a big jump in energy and food costs, the Labor Department reported Friday. In June, energy and food costs went up, but not by nearly as much. That helped to moderate overall consumer prices and brought a little bit of relief to Americans who have been forced to dig deeper into their pockets to fill up their gasoline tanks and buy groceries.

———-Libby Johnston, Left, executive director of the Eddy CASA Program, and Arlas Blackwell, Artesia program assistant and volunteer coordinator, are looking for new volunteers for the program, which advocates for children in the juvenile justice system. CASA holds an open house today at 2 p.m. at the Artesia Chamber of Commerce.

———- (EDITOR’S NOTE: Looking Back was compiled By Daily Press Staff)

After 60 years of cutting hair in Artesia and the surrounding area, I have decided to retire. I would like to thank my customers for your support throughout the years. I would especially like to thank those who supported me during difficult times. This was not an easy decision for me as I will truly miss the conversations and laughter we’ve shared through the years. I look forward to seeing you again around town.

Sincerely, Margarito Salmon The family of Margarito Salmon would like to invite you to celebrate his retirement at the Artesia Country Club on Saturday (7/20) from 2pm-5pm. Please come by to wish him well.