Published: March 22, 2008 08:35 pm      

AT RANDOM: WCF handyman preparing for fair

John Boyce has deep roots in Huntsville. His ancestor was one of Walker County’s original settlers and the owner of an 1835 land grant.

“I grew up in Huntsville while my father attended Sam Houston State University in the 1940s,” he said. “After my father died in 1948, I moved from Huntsville to San Angelo and then back to where I am living now.”

Boyce is a familiar face around the Walker County Fairgrounds and works as an all-around handyman and crew chief.

“I used to work with TDCJ, and I guess I had experience with handling inmates, so when the job at the fair came open, someone thought of me and I came in and interviewed for it and got the job.”

Boyce is in charge of taking care of the fairgrounds and buildings during the year.

“I carry a little crew of inmates from the Walker County Jail, and in the summer time we mow grass and weed-eat and keep the buildings clean,” he said. “We also pick up trash and fix busted water pipes when they need fixing. We do small time electrical stuff and general maintenance work and janitorial work. I tell them if they have any major electrical problems, they should hire a real electrician, but we can fix the simpler problems.”

As of right now, Boyce is extremely busy making preparations for the fair.

“Right now we’re really trying to get ready for the fair, and there are about a million and one little things to get done before the end of March,” Boyce said.

This year will be the tenth fair Boyce has worked, and he said that each one is quite an experience.

“I guess all the fairs have been memorable,” he said. “You always remember the bad things that happened more than the good things, of course, but I could come up with something memorable for each one of them.”

Boyce is responsible for setting up for the rodeo, but he rarely gets to watch the bull riding and calf roping that he helped make possible.

“This is my tenth rodeo, and out of the nine rodeos I’ve seen maybe three or four bull rides,” he said. “I’m usually doing work during the rodeo so I don’t get to see it because I’m busy with the carnival and the livestock.”

Boyce sets of every kind of animal pen imaginable.

“I have to set up cattle pens, goat pens and chicken pens, as well as pens for the rabbits and other animals,” he said. “Usually I have to take everything down after the fair is over or at least put it up so it can be used for the next year.”

For Boyce, the fair starts early, even though it officially starts at the end of March.

“Well, for me, the fair starts in mid-February,” he said. “That’s how long it takes to get everything going.”

Boyce believes that children benefit from the fair in many ways and is a good experience for all children.

“Lots of kids come out here and show animals and things, and I think it builds up their self-esteem,” he said. “The fair teaches them responsibility and helps them to learn how to do things for themselves. It is a positive thing for kids to do.”

Boyce’s own daughter, Becky, attended the fair last year.

“Becky is a computer programmer for Boeing Aircraft in Seattle, Wash.,” he said. “She came out to the fair last year and looked around and took photos. She had a real good time.”

Before Boyce began working at the fair, he had a myriad of different careers.

“In my lifetime I’ve had lots of little jobs,” he said. “When I started out working in high school, I worked for a paper hanger in Houston making a dollar an hour and I thought I was getting rich.”

Boyce also worked for a pipeline company making $1.90 an hour, ran an Exxon station, taught school and went to work for TDC.

“After I worked for TDC I retired,” Boyce said. “Then I went to work for the Walker County Fair Association.”

Boyce said his favorite career out of all of them has been working for the WCFA.

“I kind of like it down at the fairgrounds,” he said. “I can come and go when I get ready, just as long as I get my work done. I also like that I don’t have set hours, I can pretty well name my own hours. I can come in at 9 a.m. and leave early, just as long as I keep up with the time.”

When Boyce isn’t working, he’s hunting, fishing, or raising dogs.

“One of my hobbies is raising Jack Russell terrier puppies for sale,” he said. “I’ve been raising puppies since before I started working for the fair, probably around 12 years.”

“I also like to fish and hunt,” he said. “When hunting season comes around, I like to go to the woods and squirrel and deer hunt. I like to squirrel hunt mainly.”

Boyce is also involved in his community.

“Around Coldspring I am a member of Masonic lodge,” he said. “We do a lot of work in Coldspring and San Jacinto County.”

Boyce said they are involved in blood drives, scholarships, fundraisers, and they take time to read with school children.

“We also take care of senior citizens when they can’t take care of themselves,” he said.

Boyce is one of many behind-the-scenes workers whose hard work helps make the Walker County Fair and Rodeo a great experience for members of the community.