2018 July PASO Magazine

LAST WORD
MARIBETH BONOMI honored as
Friend of the Fair of the Year 2017
By Meagan Friberg
Stroll along the
grounds of the
Paso Robles
Event Center during
the annual California
Mid-State Fair, peruse
the exhibits, enjoy the
concerts and rides, and
then step back and take
a moment or two to appreciate
all that goes into
making it the “Biggest
Little Fair Anywhere!” Chances
are, some of the people responsible
for landscaping, decorations, crowd
control, and monitoring the exhibits
are volunteers – Friends of the
Fair – that give freely of their time
year after year.
One such volunteer was recently
recognized for her work in 2017
and over the past several years –
Maribeth Bonomi. When her name
was announced as the Friend of the
Fair of the Year 2017 at the annual
volunteer dinner, Maribeth said she
was “shocked!”
“When I heard my name, I could
not believe it,” she said. “I see people
helping out and doing amazing
things around the fairground; they
work for hours upon hours, spend
days out here, maybe even the entire
length of the fair. So, for me to be
singled out – wow! I am truly humbled
and I appreciate this show of
kindness a great deal. This is such a
nice honor.”
One unexpected but much-coveted
bonus? Maribeth now has her
very own parking spot during this
year’s Fair! “I am used to walking
from blocks away
and so this will be
quite a treat to not
have to look for
parking this year!”
Helper Bee
A retired local
elementary school
teacher, Maribeth
became involved
with the Fair
when she offered to help her friend,
Patti Lucas, with the Miss CMSF
Pageant She refers to herself as being
Patti’s “helper bee.”
“I ask the girls questions, help
them get what they need, and go to
events as a chaperone,” she said. “I
help get notices out to the local high
schools and colleges to get more
girls involved, and work behind the
stage with the girls. I enjoy getting to
know the girls and establishing close
relationships with each of them. I try
to help boost their confidence, keep
them moving forward, and remind
them of what they need to do.”
As part of the pageant requirements,
the contestants help in various
aspects of volunteer work with
Friends of the Fair, so it was natural
for Maribeth to become involved
with helping in that area as well.
Tisha Tucker of the CMSF said,
“Maribeth has been a fantastic volunteer
for the Friends of the Fair
program. She also helps a lot with
the pageant and helps Patti before
and during the fair. She has also
helped with the parade; whenever
she is [at the parade] with the pageant
girls she’s willing to jump in
and help push one of the floats. She
is willing to take extra shifts that
may need to be filled; she always
does her best to try and help [including]
in the information booth.
Maribeth has gone above and beyond
and she truly deserves the title
of Friend of the Fair of the Year!”
Maribeth said one thing she
learned the first year she volunteered
was how much work is involved. “I’d
gone to the Fair for probably 38
years and I somehow never realized
this. You go there, and it’s all done –
the flowers are blooming, the signs
are up, and everything looks pretty.
When I started volunteering, I realized
people work really hard to get
the grounds to look so beautiful and
to get things organized and moving;
that shocked me that I never took
the time to think about all the work
involved to get ready for Fair time.”
Many Hands Make Light Work
CMSF Board Member
David Baldwin and Maribeth
Bonomi. Contributed photo
When asked why she volunteers,
Maribeth’s answer was simple: “I
work on the theory of…if we all work
together and help each other we can
accomplish more. I tell my kids all
the time, MANY HANDS MAKE
LIGHT WORK! During one of
the work days in June, everyone was
working together, asking one another
what we could do to help someone
else, and we got a lot done a lot faster…it
just makes more sense!”
Part of the fun with being a
Friends of the Fair volunteer, Maribeth
shared, is the opportunity to
work with and get to know others
in the local community. “I have met
lots of people through the Fair; it’s
a fun adventure and I enjoy it. I am
involved with other volunteer work
in the community as well, but I don’t
do it for any kind of recognition. I
do it because I want to be involved
and I don’t expect anything in return.
I just like to help.”
Many people will recognize Maribeth
from her years of teaching
at local schools. After working in
Lockwood for four years and San
Lucas for two, Maribeth taught for
nine years in Shandon and, most
recently, 17 years at Winifred Pifer
Elementary School. Maribeth and
her husband, Jim, are parents to
three adult children – Kyle, Cherish,
and Lindsy – and have a five-yearold
grandson, Zander.
Find information on becoming
involved with Friends of
the Fair at midstatefair.com.
Meagan Friberg can be
reached at meagan@paso
magazine.com
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50 | pasomagazine.com PASO Magazine, July 2018