Three New Faces on Merced Fair Board
By Diane Booth Conway,
Merced County Fair Publicity Director

   Three new faces are joining the Merced County Fair's Board of Directors.
   Bert Crane of Merced, Deborah Lewis of Los Banos and Jaime Farao of Gustine were recently appointed to the Merced County Fair Board by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Crane replaces Marc Garcia of Merced, Lewis will fill the seat held by Lloyd Vierra of Gustine and Farao was named to replace Charlie Parish of Merced.
   The appointments are for four-year terms that expire January 2010. All three directors are new to the nine-member 35th District Agricultural Association's board. "We welcome Bert, Deborah and Jaime to the board and look forward to working with them as we prepare for the 2007 Merced County Fair," said Robin Hauck, the fair's CEO.

   Crane is general manager of Bert Crane Orchards, overseeing all operations of walnut orchards in three locations in Merced. A sixth generation California farmer, he was born and raised in Merced.
   When he was in high school, Crane was in FFA and exhibited agricultural mechanics projects at the Merced County Fair and went on to compete in the state finals. But his early memories of the fair are all about the animals. "One of the main attractions of going to the fair was seeing all the livestock," Crane said.
   While attending Cal Poly he showed sheep before earning a degree in Ag Science with a concentration in Mechanized Agriculture. In later years he competed in the Merced County Fair's Hay Judging contest.
   Crane has spent a lot of time at the fairgrounds' livestock area since his two sons -- one in high school and one in middle school -- have shown sheep at the fair. One of his sons has the distinction of having the fair's reserve champion (all other breeds) two years in a row.
   Crane's agricultural background inspired his interest in serving on the fair board. "The fair's focus is supporting the county's agriculture. With all the crops that are produced and exhibited at the fair it's the county's showcase for agriculture," Crane said, adding that what makes the Merced County Fair special is it's a top ag producing county. According to the Merced County Ag Commissioner's Office, Merced County placed fifth in the state in 2005, when it came to agriculture production value.
   Crane believes his knowledge of farming, leadership abilities, organizational skills and experience serving on diverse committees and organizations will be an asset to the fair board. He is a past board member of the Merced County Farm Bureau; current board member of the Mercy Medical Center Merced Foundation; current advisory board member of the Greater Yosemite Council Boy Scouts of America; past Natural Resource Conservation District member of the East Merced Resource Conservation District; past president of the Merced Mariposa Cattlemen's Association; member and past president of the Greater Merced Kiwanis; member of Central Presbyterian Church; current member of the Senate Ag Advisory Committee and past member of the state Ag Economic Summit subcommittee.

   Farao's life also revolves around agriculture. He has been an animal science instructor for nine years at Merced College and taught agriculture at Gustine High School for seven years before that. He grew up in Santa Maria and graduated from Cal Poly where he earned a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in agriculture.
   "I have a lifelong experience with fairs from an exhibitor's point of view starting with showing animals as a high school freshman in FFA, and as a 4-H leader and an ag teacher," Farao said. He also raised sheep and cattle for 10 years, showed his livestock at national shows and judged livestock at county and state fairs throughout the U.S.
   He is very familiar with the Merced County Fair, serving as an advisor for FFA students and helping his three stepchildren show their animals at the fair. He served on the fair's livestock committee and is currently serving on the fair's auction and facilities committees.
   Farao's three stepchildren have shown sheep and hogs at the fair over the years. He and his wife, Lucia, are the parents of Eli Menton, 20 and Nathaniel Menton, 19, both Merced College students and Gracie Menton, 16, a student at Gustine High School.
   Farao is a member of the following organizations: the California Teachers' Association, the California Ag Teachers' Association and the Merced County Farm Bureau. He is a leader for Westside 4-H in Gustine, serves on the state's Rules Committee for Fairs and Expositions and does sheep judging at a number of county fairs in California and throughout the U.S.
   He looks forward to serving on the fair board for several reasons. "Our fair is very well run and has a great livestock department. The fair staff and volunteers go out of their way to educate the community's youth about agriculture, especially with Old MacDonald's Farm and Petting Zoo. The fair's program has made us a leader in the state in ag literacy."
   Farao credits the Merced County Fair and FFA for his career choice in teaching agriculture education. "I want to help strengthen the fair to make sure the tradition of ag education is there for my grandchildren and their children. We have to lay the foundation now for what the fair will look like in the future and how it will stay profitable."

   Lewis is a retired Deputy Public Guardian for Santa Clara County. She worked in the Public Guardian/Conservator Office for 19 years. In her profession she helped the chronically mentally ill and elderly clients by managing their property, finances, medical care and other aspects of their lives. She was also responsible for probating decedent estates. "These were people who would not accept help they so desperately needed and we were there to protect them after a court adjudication."
   Lewis also worked in the Santa Clara County Public Defenders Office, in Criminal Investigations and for Social Services before going to work for the Public Guardian/Conservator's Office. She retired in 2004 after 32 years of service in Santa Clara County.
   Her community involvement includes serving as Chairman of the Merced County Republican Party. For the past seven years she has been on the Los Banos City Planning Commission and recently completed her second term as Chairman.
   Lewis is on the Board of Trustees at New Canaan Missionary Baptist Church in Los Banos. She is also a member of Los Banos Community Access Group, a newly formed citizens' group working to bring locally produced programming to cable TV.
   She has helped run the Republican Party booth at both the Merced County Fair and the Spring Fair in Los Banos and is excited about learning what it takes to put on the fair. "I want to see the fair remain a profitable organization so we can continue to serve the Merced County region," Lewis said.
   Born in New Orleans, her family moved to California when she was 2. Lewis grew up in San Diego. She graduated from San Jose State University with a Bachelor's of Art. Her son, Charles James Howard Jr., is a photo editor at the San Francisco Chronicle and her mother, Marie Lewis, resides in Los Banos.

   The other Merced County Fair board members are: Gary Carlson, President; Mark Erreca, First Vice President; Jim Cunningham, Second Vice President; Shannon Picciano; Barbara Matheron and Carol Sartori-Silva.
   For more information, call the fair office at 722-1507 or e-mail to Info@MercedCountyFair.com or fax at 722-3773. Visit the Merced County Fair’s award-winning website, www.MercedCountyFair.com

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