Volunteer honored with Junior Fair Person award

KIMBERTON » A young volunteer from Kimberton Community Fair was honored with the Junior Fair Person Award for the southeastern “Zone 4” of the Pennsylvania State Association of County Fairs.

Courtney R. Gable, daughter of Doug and Tricia Gable of Phoenixville, received her award at a special presentation at the Kimberton fairgrounds. PSACF Zone 4 Chairperson Kevin Bieber of the Oley Valley Community Fair spoke about Court- ney’s accomplishments and then presented her with an award certificate and engraved bracelet.

The Zone 4 award is given annually to a deserving fair volunteer (age 22 or younger) in recognition of their outstanding effort, achievements, and contributions with a member fair of PSACF. Zone 4 is made up of 29 fairs stretching from Franklin County east toward the Blue Valley in Northampton County. Courtney was selected as this year’s Zone 4 winner based on a nomination submitted by Kimberton Fair.

She has been a fair volunteer with Kimberton for over ten years. But 2021 was a “step-up” year for her as she plugged herself into almost every aspect of the fair, quickly making herself valuable. She volunteered with pre-fair set up, the competitive exhibits program, the annual Food Drive, the various fair refreshment stands including the famous Kimberton Donuts, and BINGO. Her involvement has helped develop many leadership skills including planning,

time management, organization, focus, cooperation, prioritization and problem-solving.

The fair credited Gable with being a positive influence during a difficult fair year. It faced many challenges including the COVID restrictions that canceled the 2020 fair and a limited the time to plan the 2021 fair. It also had to deal with managing a larger crowd of fair visitors with a smaller team of volunteers. Courtney was a true champion by looking for ways to help, supporting the fair board, and promoting the fair’s mission to bring family-friendly fun, food, and entertainment to the community.

Gable recently graduated from Phoenixville Area High School and is now in her first year of college, pursuing a nursing degree. As the Zone 4 winner, she will now advance to the next level of Junior Fair Person competition with three other Zone winners, vying for the title of State Junior Fair Person. The State Award will be presented at the PSACF Annual Convention in Hershey in January 2022.

Courtney R. Gable