'Makes my heart full.' Former Jefferson music teacher is new county fair coordinator

JEFFERSON — Sammy Garvey has been a music teacher, has worked part-time for the Jefferson County Fair and now is stepping up to a full-time position coordinating the fair.

Garvey took at part-time position with the fair in June. She loved it so much that she quite her full-time job as a music teacher at East Elementary School in Jefferson to take a full-time position with the fair when that became available.

“Previously, teaching music was what filled my cup,” Garvey reflected in an interview this week with the Daily Union.

She sees a common thread in her work with the fair, Garvey said.

“I can see kids still be so excited about what they’re doing, and I can be a part of having all that fun and making it happen. So that that makes my heart full. That fills my cup,” Garvey said.

Garvey said kids’ passion — the young photographers, farmers, animal and other exhibitors — inspired her to take the job.

Garvey has been living in Wisconsin since the fifth-grade. She did not grow up on a farm, but her father grew up in a large farm family, and she said she feels connected to the rural farming community.

One of Garvey’s hobbies is knitting — even if it takes her a long time. Her biggest hobby, however, is playing the marimba. She is currently working on a song that fits the 2025 fair theme that was announced Thursday.

Garvey said her favorite parts of the 2024 fair were the draft horses and the truck pull show.

“I’ve never been to truck pulls, but seeing the different builds of the trucks were really interesting,” Garvey said.

Garvey said she is preparing for next year’s fair season. She is currently working on coordinating winter storage, making sure rules are set for next year’s exhibitors, and upgrading new camping software to allow fairground campers to choose their sites.

Two weeks ago, Garvey and other fair staff attended a fair convention for those putting on fairs across the state.

She said the fair is all about community.

“We want everyone to have a little part of the fair that feels like theirs and feel like they can come and get that sense of community. There’s a lot going on, and there needs to be something to bring people together. And I feel like the fair is that thing,” Garvey said.