COMMUNITY & CULTURE
The Pensacola Interstate Fair has a new CEO, and he didn’t come up through carnivals or county fairgrounds — he came from commanding midshipmen at the Naval Academy and leading a command in San Diego.
Gil Clark Jr. sat down with me on Rick’s Blog Live to talk about the unexpected turn his post-Navy career has taken, just weeks before the fair’s 91st annual run kicks off on October 22.
“What I haven’t had in my 28 years — I moved 22 times — I never really had that opportunity to build a sense of local community and service to my local community.”
A homecoming, not just a job. Clark’s wife is a Tate High School graduate — part of what locals call the “Tate Mafia” — and her family ties to the area shaped the decision as much as the job itself.
- “When it was time to settle down, I asked her where do you want to go, and she said, I want to go home,” Clark said.
The general manager isn’t going anywhere. Clark was careful to note that day-to-day fair operations won’t change. Jamie McDonald, the fair’s general manager for 41 years, remains in place. The new CEO role was created by the board to focus on longer-term strategy.
Rebuilding the barn — and the agricultural mission. A recent storm damaged the fairgrounds’ livestock barn, and Clark sees the rebuild as a chance to expand more than square footage.
- The plan includes new classroom space for teaching kids about agriculture, farming and ranching, plus renewed partnerships with local schools and universities to fund scholarships and modernize programming.
A spring event is coming — eventually. Board members tasked Clark with exploring a second, spring event for the fairgrounds. His first instinct — just run another carnival — hit a wall.
- Feasibility of a spring carnival with longtime partner Reithoffer Shows is still being studied
- Alternatives on the table include an agricultural festival centered on strawberries or blueberries
- A music festival is also in play, using the midway space without rides
- No date has been set, though organizers are narrowing in on one
Clark credits an 11-person board of local civic and business leaders — all with day jobs of their own — for pushing the fair toward bigger ambitions.
The Pensacola Interstate Fair opens October 22.
