Former Kiwanis building at Boonville-Oneida County Fairgrounds dedicated to Trainor family
BOONVILLE- Whether it is for the fair, Woodsmen's Field Days, Boonville Snow Festival II or any other event at the Boonville-Oneida County Fairgrounds, you will notice the former Kiwanis building now has a new name.
To help kick-off the 138th annual Boonville-Oneida County Fair this week, members of the fair board and figures from county government presented a special proclamation to Carl Trainor, officially renaming the former Kiwanis building as the new Trainor Hall.
The dedication recognizes the Trainor family for their unending support of the fair and community as a whole.
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Oneida County Sheriff Rob Maciol, Diana Trainor (front; wife of Carl), Ben Simons (fair board member), Carl Trainor, Glenyce Trainor (front right; mother of Carl and Marilyn), Brian Trainor (son of Diana and Carl) and Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr.
For anyone who knows Mr. Carl Trainor, it is no secret that his love and passion for the fair purely reflects that of the magical excitement of a child on Christmas morning.
It is also no secret that one would be hard pressed to find a fair in New York that Mr. Trainor hasn't found himself attending at-least once.
Ever since Mr. Trainor saw for the first time with his own eyes a parade of carnival trucks passing by his childhood home, he has been simply and purely fascinated with fairs of all sorts.
Being only a few houses down from where the fairgrounds still is today, it was no challenging task to wander up to the fair every summer. Of course until he reached a certain age, Mr. Trainor and his older sister, Marilyn, who since has achieved her PhD from Syracuse University, were under the supervision of their mother, Glenyce, whenever adventuring to the fair.
Right off the bat, Mr. Trainor developed a life long friendship that still has deep roots today with the Coleman Bros. Carnival family.
When he was just a kid, Mr. Trainor recalls some of his first fair memories by helping stake out the lot (designing how the carnival rides and attractions would be arranged).
Mr. Trainor and Dr. Trainor both were fortunate enough to nurture a close family friendship with the late Mr. Boonville Fair himself, Newell Wagoner, who passed away in December, 2018.
Across many avenues, the late Mr. Wagoner was able to serve as a pillar mentor for both Carl and Marilyn. It is safe to say that they certainly had the opportunity to tap into a bottomless fountain of knowledge for when it comes to just about every single aspect for the fair - everything from distributing fair posters, painting fence posts and collecting garbage early in the mornings - just to name a few.
To this day, Mr. Trainor remains steady with tending various flower beds on the fairgrounds, while Dr. Trainor continues assisting with the Fair Museum. In years past, Dr. Trainor was heavily involved with the Boonville-Oneida County Fair before becoming President of the New York Association of County Fairs in the late 1990's.
Though Mr. Trainor has never held an official seat with the fair (outside of the fair board), figures say his pure love, passion and dedication to the fair certainly will be the standard from here on out, which is a main reason why the former Kiwanis building has been dedicated to the Trainor family name.
On behalf of the Trainor family, Carl and Marilyn sincerely thank the fair board and county government figures for the dedication.
Mr. Trainor would like to make clear that he appreciates the hard work and dedication from everyone who is and has been involved with the fair as a whole and how he loves the fair with all of his heart.
Though Mr. Trainor is known to be visibly upset for a day or two when fair week has passed, you can count on one thing for sure, and that is he will always be looking forward to the next Boonville-Oneida County Fair.
Images by Brian Trainor.
