STATE FAIR: Family Affair at the Fair

At 8 a.m. on the first day of the Maryland State Fair, the rides run empty.

No one is here to squeal on the Zipper or wave from the Ferris wheel. Vacant swings dangle at the end of long chains.

The morning breeze is scented with grilled meat, buttery popcorn and fried dough even though there are no appetites to attract. Not yet.

The fair may appear empty. But, behind the scenes, the workers are busy with the final touches.

And few state employees have been attending to the details  longer than Chuck Bosley, 51, a maintenance supervisor for 34 years.

He officially retired last year but has stayed on this year to help his cousin, Don Denmeyer, transition into his job. Not that Denmeyer needs that much help: he's worked at the fair for nearly three decades as well. 

 "You get that a lot here," Bosley explains. "There are quite a few families who have history here."

Bosley's family is one of many that have had multiple relatives employed by the fair.

His grandfather, Buck Ford, started as a security guard at the fair but was best known as the maintenance shop's carpenter. And Bosley's 20-year-old son, Christopher, is carrying on the family tradition.

Thinking of the new generation causes Bosley to wax nostalgic. Under his grandfather's tutelage, Bosley found himself at a young age working on a few tasks with the maintenance crew. Eventually, after graduating Hereford High School in 1976, he secured a full time position on the maintenance team. Three years later he was superintendent.  

"When I started coming around here you had the bearded lady and the really fat man. Nowadays, things have gotten a lot more commercial with the rides and concerts," he says.

Not that he has any problems with that.

"Commercial brings in more business, which is ultimately what keeps us running," Bosley says.

He can most often be found cruising around the fairgrounds in his golf cart checking on everything from the cleanliness of holding pens for fair animals to the rescuing of a fairgoer stuck in an elevator.

"One time, there was an old blind woman who was riding the elevator with her daughter to get some lunch on our second level dining area," he says. "Somehow, the elevator just stopped and the two were stuck up there. We were able to get them down but, sure enough, the old lady was terrified. Her daughter was more upset about missing the horse races."

Despite his fondness for the job, Bosley is enjoying semi-retirement.

"The years of working on the grounds can be very hard on the body," he says. "Now that I've paid all my bills, I can spend more time relaxing, going to antique shows, and racing my horses."

He won his first race in 1993 on a horse named Amber Braude. Where did he race it? At the state fairgrounds, of course. 

Bosley's son, Christopher, joined the maintenance staff three years ago.

"Christopher is a lot like me," Bosley brags, glowing with pride. "He loves to play around with things and fix everything in sight."

As further evidence that the state fair is often a family affair, Christopher frequently pairs up on jobs with Colton Denmeyer, Don's son.

 The transition reminds the elder Bosley of the years when he and his cousin were taking over from their fathers and grandfathers. Back then it seemed like "a bunch of young kids were running the joint," Bosley says.

Now, many of those same "kids" are retiring and the new generation is taking over.

"I'm going to miss the people the most," Bosley says. "Everyone here is family. Even those who aren't blood related."

Driving across the grounds on Friday in his golf cart, Bosley's reminiscence is rudely interrupted when a fair worker vies for his attention.

"Chuck!" the worker shouts. "The fudge guy's pot exploded."

Chuck's reply exemplifies his nearly four-decade career at the fair:

"I'm on it."