With a tip of his signature black hat and a big "Howdy," Fair Board President Joel Bell is greeting fairgoers this week, some 25,000 of them. Bell is the perfect ambassador for the fair -- a pure country gentleman.
Bell grew up on the family ranch near Pinon and Weed where his dad, Dalton, had a small construction company. He has a deep respect for his roots, quickly clicking off a history lesson, "Weed was established in 1885 and the Lewis family had been in the area since 1884, followed by the Parkers and the Jernigans."
His mother, Happy Bell, reports that Joel was a basketball star while at Weed High School.
With a deadpan expression, he claims he was seventh in his graduating class. "Of course," he says, "There were only seven in my class." Those well acquainted with Bell know his stock-in-trade is his quick wit and self-deprecating humor.
After a short spell at college, he kicked around the country, mostly in Kansas, Wyoming and Texas. Bell recalls he followed the rodeo for a while ("I wasn’t very good at it"), worked as a grain elevator operator, crane operator, and farmer. His mom adds to the long list of his early jobs with trapper, log skidder, Cat driver, trash hauler, backhoe operator, salt miner, truck driver (hauling everything from sunflowers and molasses to road equipment), forest service employee and ditch digger.
He then moved east of L.A., Lake Arthur that is, where he owned a ranch from 1981 until 1988. When he sold it, he went to work for Mack Chase as a livestock manager.
Bell, in his present position as ranch manager for Chase Farms, runs nine Chase ranch operations scattered throughout Lincoln, Chaves and Eddy counties. He lives on one of those ranches, located on the Feliz River, about 15 miles west of Hagerman.
His job keeps him on the move to the different operations. Just last week, he was in Corona for a day of late branding.
His friend, Debbie Martin, who accompanies Bell on most weekend trips, says of the job, "It’s fencing, water lines, sorting cattle and hauling to sales, moving cows, and keeping track of where they are year round. It’s not an eight-to-five job. It’s weekends and holidays, too."
With all the travel and responsibility his job entails, how in the world does he have time for the big job of heading up the Eddy County Fair in his capacity of fair board president?
Bell recounts, "A jillion people have asked how I got into this. Through my kids, when they were in 4-H and FFA. Ninety percent of parents get involved because of their kids." His kids are Dalton, who works for Pecos Valley Pump, Jole, who lives in Las Vegas, Nev. and Sarah, who is a senior at Artesia High School this fall.
Bell has served on the fair board since 1995 and has been president since 1999. He grins, "The president is the one with the biggest target on his back."
This week, the focus of the 12 board members is the county fair, right outside of Artesia.
The board and legions of volunteers have been working tirelessly for months to make this year’s fair a success. Bell says, "From 65 to 70 volunteers show up at each of three Saturday workdays before the fair, and it takes them all."
The payoff for those countless hours of hard work is finally at hand -- the fair is in full swing.
Some changes will be evident to fairgoers this year, according to Bell. He points out, "One thing has changed and will make a big difference -- showmanship is being done during the show, rather than separately as it has been in the past."
Another change, "Adult entry display cases have been purchased from a mall," Bell says, "The old cases had deteriorated, guys had been showing in those since the 1950s. We have moved into the exhibit building, instead of the community center." He feels that having vendor booths and exhibits together is a good mix.
Martin, who volunteers in many areas of the fair, has worked to secure 58 vendors who are set up in the vendor barn, the community center and outside the buildings.
A new auctioneer at the Junior Livestock Sale is a major change this year.
Although Joel Bell is widely known for his auctioning talents, conducting 25 fund-raising auctions last year alone, he doesn't sell this one.
He stresses, "I'm not a professional and we want to get the most money for the kids. The auctioneer for 26 years, Bobby Fletcher, retired so I've hired a new one from Mountainair. I've known him for several years. He sells cattle; he sold the New Mexico State Fair and the Lalencia County Fair, Wayne Connell. Wayne has a good sense of humor and will make it a lot of fun."
The Junior Livestock Sale generated $192,541 last year. The proceeds from the sale helps the youngsters pay feed bills, veterinarian bills and purchase their livestock.
In addition to oversight responsibility for the event, Bell serves as pig superintendent one of 17 division superintendents at the fair. he explains, "Each of the superintendents is responsible for checking in the animals and making sure kids, pen assignments and ear tags all match up."
Bell especially gets a kick out of the Adult Pig Show to be held on Friday this year. He urges folks who want a chuckle to be on hand for it.
He describes how the show got started, "About three years ago when the adults were telling the kids how to show this, or how to walk that way while showing their animals, the Cottonwood club said if they (adults) are so smart, they can show. so now, for $5, a person can sign up anybody. One year we put up Peyton Yates, we've had bankers, radio guys, the the ids tell them how to show.
"The contestants can come in costume, like Elmer Fudd or rock stars... there are always a few fair board presidents, wearing big black hats and fake mustaches."
Turning serious for a rare moment, Bell says, "Artesia is the city of champions and I believe that. I have had two kids graduate from Artesia High School and have one who is a senior this year. But these kids show up from the entire county -- they are all champions."
And Eddy County's kids have a champion in Joel Bell, whose auctioning talents have benefited many of their organizations over the last 10 years and whose commitment to this fair helps secure success year after year.
So, while out at the fair this week, look for this larger than life country gent in his big black hat. Then holler a hearty "Howdy" -- and maybe, throw in a thank you, too.