Nixon Fair DB - Using the Database

Helping you manage and communicate
the details and activities of your fair.

Here are some messages for you from people who currently use the system.

I am totally amazed over and over again at the depth of detail that Bill has created in this database to accommodate the various ways that fairs operate, but to accomplish the same thing.
He is always so accommodating and patient with all my questions, and can fix anything that goes wrong.
My advice is that new fairs probably can’t expect to save huge amounts of time in the first couple years of the database, but after that it is an easy time saver, and creates a wonderful sense of accuracy and gives the fair a look of professionalism to their processes. - Gail Fullerton, Paisley Agriculture Society

The database is a simple mechanism to analyze what classes are not consistently being entered so a section can be revised. The overall data is useful for soliciting donors –money spent in various divisions or specific sections, number of exhibitors who show in certain divisions/sections, and the number of exhibits entered. It is an efficient and quick way to tally prize money so it can be distributed when the exhibits are being removed so mailing can be reduced. - Doug Yeo, Bayfield Agriculture Society

Bill is an enthusiastic database author who has created the Fair DB to help organize all the details related to operating Agricultural Societies and Fairs. Honestly, there are so many details! He is always available to help out and answer questions whenever we need his expertise . - Susan Lehnen, Secretary, Bayfield Agriculture Society

One of the best things about the Nixon Fair Database is that expert help is only an e-mail or phone call away. You never feel rushed or embarrassed by any questions that you need to ask, to complete the task you are working on at any given time. I have been completely satisfied with this fair program and have been using it for several years now. It is designed so any fair can use parts of the program or all of it.
. - Eileen Brown, Secretary, Erin Fair

The biggest change using the database is less person-hours compiling data.
I was not involved with the fair before, but hear stories of 10 ladies pouring through
hundreds of exhibitor forms and judge results, adding and counting, taking weeks.
Sometimes the payouts didn't go out til late October, and our fair is early in September. . - Janet Williamson, Secretary, Mitchell Ag Society

The Fair DB made life as the Secretary of the New Hamburg Fall Fair a thousand times easier then the way things were being done.   Currently, we are only using the database for our Homecraft entries, but the difference it has made has been incredible.
    Before we bought the database I was entering all of the exhibitors, and categories in 2 Excel Spreadsheets. When judging was done Friday morning on it was recorded on lined paper, and overall points were counted out by adding up the 1st, 2nds and 3rds.
    Once it all came back to me, I would sit and enter all of the winners until the wee hours of the morning (we hand out our prize money Saturday at noon, so it HAD to be done!) to say that errors were made was an understatement. One box off in the spreadsheet and someone else got the pay out!
    Then, I met Bill! He explained the database to me and I was hooked! After convincing my board that the investment was 100% worth it, I was off and running!
Not only did Bill spend countless hours on the phone with me to walk me through set up and learning the program he made a point to come out to the fair each year I have run the program to check how things are, help me with any questions I had and to give me reminders on what to do!
    I now have printed lists of all the entrants for each category ready for the Homecraft Department by the time judging starts Friday morning (and drop off is Thursday night until 8pm!!) and when the results do come in, not only does the program calculate all our overall winners and pay out totals, I am DONE in a reasonable time!!! What before took me 13-14 hours on the Friday night of the fair is now down to roughly 8 (just imagine how much time it would take if it was more than just me working on the judging entries!).
    I LOVE that it double checks my entries and prints out a report for each winning entrant showing them what they entered and what they won, which has made payouts on Saturday a breeze! Plus being able to hand the Treasurer a payout total by Saturday morning of the Fair for Homecraft makes her pretty happy!
    The ladies on Homecraft also love that at their follow up meeting after the fair, they each get a hand out of their department showing them the difference in entrants from this year to last, how many entries per category they had and what was paid out!

All I can say is, if you aren't using this database yet, then you are missing out in a major way, I couldn't imagine managing the Homecraft any other way!
. - Gail Edgeworth, Former Secretary, New Hamburg Fall Fair