Nurturing state fair's beauty

Longenecker retires after 32 years on the job

By STEVE KADEL-Frontiersman reporter

PALMER -- The Alaska State Fair was just a toddler when Harvey "Bud" Longenecker became its first full-time employee 32 years ago.

"We put up the 4-H building the first year I was there," he recalled.

The infrastructure, if it could be called that, otherwise consisted of an office in a Quonset hut and two horse barns in those early years after moving from the site of today's Palmer Pioneers' Home.

Longenecker soon notched another "first" at the fair, becoming the event's first bartender. Beer was kept in a slaughterhouse in downtown Palmer, and someone made a quick trip to town whenever supplies at the fair ran low. Brew was sold from a plywood shack.

"In those days the fair didn't have any money," said Longenecker, who earned $500 a month, except in August and September when his salary doubled.

He fixed display cases, painted buildings and emptied trash cans. He also cut the grass, a duty he continued throughout his employment with the fair. Little did Longenecker anticipate in 1971 that the fair would mature as it has, with a total attendance of 312,419 this year.

"It's gotten to be a big business," he said this week at his home off Mile 10 Knik-Goose Bay Road.

Longenecker, who owns Knik Knack Mud Shack and operates it from his house, retired from the fair last fall. The infant enterprise is now running at full speed, thanks to a solid foundation in the early days.

It was a labor of love then, he said. For example, Jim Herman of Herman Brothers Construction donated the first asphalt put down at the fairgrounds, Longenecker said, and Herman and other volunteers spent a weekend getting the job done.

Vern France and Len Melton also showed up for hands-on jobs without expecting money in return, said Longenecker, who donated his own pickup truck and lots of personal tools to fair projects during his decades on the job.

"That's how the fair got built," he said.

Longenecker, 72, originally came to Alaska from Maryland in 1951 for

military service at Fort Richardson. He took a boat to Whittier in March, then boarded the Alaska Railroad and watched in shock as the train sped through mile after mile of boggy, less-than-inspiring terrain.

"I thought, 'My goodness, what have I gotten myself into?'" he said.

He was hooked on Alaska by the time he was discharged, though. Longenecker returned to Maryland but, following a familiar script, found that his old home had somehow changed over the years. He sped back to Alaska for good.

Longenecker settled in Anchorage for a few years, then homesteaded his 160-acre Knik property in the late 1950s. The view from his home's deck overlooks a forested landscape with the Chugach Mountains rising in the distance. Longenecker often invited state fair employees and their families out for summer picnics, and he has photo albums crammed full of pictures of the festivities.

One of his proudest possessions is an aerial photo his son, Larry, presented to him during his retirement celebration. It shows the fairgrounds in 1971 -- a far cry from the bustling midway of today.

Then, eight people were employed during the fair to pick up trash eight hours a day. Now it requires two shifts of twice that size, each working nine hours daily.

From being the only full-time employee, Longenecker worked with a full-time staff of 13 at his retirement, and supervised a summer crew that performed grounds and maintenance chores.

His part in the fair's success was acknowledged in the Alaska State Fair's fall 2003 newsletter, which said, "Among his many contributions to the fair, the horticulture program may be seen as Longenecker's legacy. His nurture and support of landscaper Beck Walters led to several permanent gardens and beds that adorn the fairgrounds.

"From building the greenhouse to preparing the potting soil to maintaining a fleet of old pick-ups for the flower crew, Bud doggedly pursued his dream of beautiful fairgrounds, much to the delight of a generation of fairgoers."

Although Longenecker tries to avoid the limelight and isn't the bragging type, he acknowledges satisfaction at what he gave to the fair.

"It's grown a lot," he said. "I'm proud of what we put in there."