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Date: 3/20/2015
WEST SPRINGFIELD – When Sue Lavoie interviewed for a secretarial position at the Eastern States Exposition in 1966, she had already decided she did not want the job.
Fresh out of school at Holyoke Community College, Lavoie took the interview to practice answering questions, preparing for the jobs she actually wanted in business.
Things did not play out that way for Lavoie.
“I came to the interview and it actually sounded quite exciting. Now, I wanted the job, and both my parents were very disappointed because they wanted me to do something more in the business end of it,” Lavoie said. “They grew to love the Eastern States Exposition, trust me, but they were disappointed at first.”
She knew she had to have the job, recognizing that it was an organization on the rise. Lavoie started working that June, diving head first into planning for, what was then, a nine-day fair in September.
“Literally nothing was done. We had to work night and day,” Lavoie said of her Big E season on the job.
With 49 years of fairs and horse shows behind her, Lavoie has announced she will be retiring as vice president of the Eastern States Exposition on March 31.
Though the job she landed was not where she expected to be, Lavoie said she has loved the path that she took that led her to the vice president’s seat.
“It’s been a great career and I’m really glad I chose to come here or that they hired me, I should say,” Lavoie said with a laugh.
Lavoie’s career has been benchmarked by the expansion of the Eastern States Exposition, especially the Big E. When she began, the Big E ran for nine days. Now, it stretches for 17 days, attracting nearly 1.5 million guests in 2014 as the fifth largest fair in North America.
“I’ve seen dirt roads get paved and beautiful buildings get built,” Lavoie said.
This is exactly what kept Lavoie on board for nearly 50 years. She said she never expected to move all the way up to vice president, a position she was appointed in 1986.
“I actually thought I would come here and do a couple of years and move on to something else. That never did happen. It was just the opposite,” Lavoie said. “What happened was it kept growing, growing, growing. It was always a growing position and it still is.”
From watching Liberace perform under the Storrowton tent to the creation of the bacon cheeseburger on a donut bun, Lavoie has been witness to the changes the Eastern States Exposition has seen over the years, as well as its big moments.
Though she said that these memories are one that she will cherish, Lavoie said she knows it is time to make new ones.
“The thought of not coming here everyday is a little sad, but I also want to move along and do other things,” she said. “It’s time. It’s time to be leisurely.”
Lavoie said she loves to travel and hopes to do more of it with her down time, kicking it off with a trip to Barcelona in April and one to London in September. She also plans to spend time at her home on Cape Cod.
Despite looking forward to time to relax, Lavoie is not done being involved in her community. A Springfield resident, she actively serves the Rotary Club of Springfield, the Mont Marie Health Care System as board chair and finance committee member and plans to be more involved with Forest Park.
“It’s not going to be nine to five, but it’s still going to be pretty busy,” Lavoie said. “I intend to keep my fingers busy.”