Marion woman cooks for entertainers at state fair
By ROWENA PLETT
Staff writer
Imagine being able to personally meet every entertainer, every singing group, or every band that performs at the Kansas State Fair!
That's what Valera Morgan of Marion has had the privilege to do for the past 19 years as a cook for them.
Valera has two photo albums crammed full of autographed pictures of the performers and also snapshots of herself posing with them.
She speaks of people like the Statler Brothers, Roy Clark, Rex Allen, Oak Ridge Boys, Brad Paisley, Charlie Daniels, Randy Travis, Reba McEntire, and the Judds as easily as family members.
"I've held Garth Brooks' oldest child," she said. "When he performs, the whole family comes."
Pasted into one of her albums is the liner out of Brooks' cowboy hat.
The entertainers' lounge is located in a dugout beyond the performance platform at the grandstand. The building contains four dressing rooms, restrooms, a press room, kitchen, and large dining and living area.
"The performers are people just like you and me," Valera said. "They like to come out into the kitchen and see what's cooking. They call it grandma's kitchen."
Food preparation is a family affair. Valera is assisted by her sister Edith Helmer of Marion, sister Esther Hendrix of Holyoke, Colo., and niece Dana Barth of Holly, Colo. They are paid the minimum hourly wage and stay in the encampment building during the fair.
The cooks wear special name tags and security stickers which identify them as being allowed in the area.
They receive contracts from the performers listing specific wants, including certain kinds of water or other refreshments and snacks for the dressing rooms.
"I learned there are four kinds of water," she said. "Not brand names, but different kinds of water."
Performers are fed a deli lunch, meat-and-potatoes dinner, and breakfast. In the past, if there was a group of more than 30, the dinner was catered in. Now all meals are prepared on-site.
"We sometimes go to the grocery store eight or nine times a day to satisfy everyone's requests," Valera said.
One time, Aaron Tippin was coming to perform. Valera had heard that ham and beans was his favorite food, so she prepared it for lunch.
Tippin didn't show up until later. However, at dinnertime, while everyone else was enjoying a catered meal of steak and all the trimmings, he ate warmed-up ham and beans at his own request.
Valera said performers like to hang out in the lounge, bringing in a big screen TV, watching shows, and having a good time.
"They're nice people," she said.
80th birthday
Valera's birthday falls during or near the time of the fair. This year, she will be 82 years old the day after the fair closes. It runs from Sept. 8-17.
One of the highlights of her time as head cook occurred on her 80th birthday. Unknown to her, a niece spent a year planning a special recognition for her.
The evening of Valera's birthday, fair manager Denny Steckline brought her hesitatingly up to the stage and introduced her to the crowd of 3,500 people prior to a show by Tracy Lawrence. She was surprised to learn that 40 members of her family were in the crowd.
"I don't know how they kept it a secret for so long," she said.
Valera has received recognition for her cooking in various articles that have appeared in The Hutchinson News and other newspapers.
She and her husband, Fred, were living in Hutchinson when she was employed as a cook at the Holiday Inn. After she retired, she was asked to be a cook at the fair.
She moved to Marion in 2000, after her husband died. She has four sons (one deceased), nine grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren.
Valera said fair workers become like family. She enjoys working with them, but she thinks this may be her last year at the fair.
"Of course, that's what I said last year, so we'll see," she said. "We look forward to it every year. Then, when it's over, you're glad it's over."
She's looking forward to meeting Trace Adkins this year. He is re- scheduled to perform after canceling in 2005 due to a health problem.
"I think I'll have to buy another photo album," she said. "The two I have are full."
Sounds like she expects to collect quite a few more pictures.
