Gas drilling industry reaching out to communities via county fairs
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Roger VanDruff helps out by watching for bids during the 4-H Market at the Greene County Fair, which ended Saturday. The fair has many energy-related sponsors, including EQT Corp., Chevron, Consol Energy and Energy Corporation of America. -
Signs thanking buyers of their livestock are hanging at the Greene County Fair in Waynesburg, Pa. The fair has many energy-related sponsors including EQT Corporation Chevron, Consol Energy and ECA Energy. The 4-H Market sale includes purchases by energy companies. -
Rod Winters, left, of Energy Corporation of America, with his daughter, Parker, pose at the Greene County Fair after Mr. Winters bought the reserve Grand Champion lamb, seen with owner Hayden Demniak, 10, of Cumberland Township. Other energy companies also made purchases at the fair's 4-H Market Sale.
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WAYNESBURG -- Consol Energy made $346.8 million last year and spent $4,953 of it Thursday night on a 1,524-pound, black-and-white steer named Oreo.
Oreo belonged to an elementary school student named Gregory Staggers until Laural Ziemba, the Consol Energy director of community relations, started waving her auction number at the Greene County Fair 4-H Market Sale.
Some locals joined the bidding once Consol expressed interest, hoping to force the energy giant with deep pockets up another quarter per pound. "Three-and-a-three-and-a-three-and-a- ... Three-and-a-quarter. Three-and-a-quarter. Three-and-a-quarter. SOLD!"
A few folks clapped as the Canonsburg company picked up another of the four animals it would buy that evening. The auctioneer announced Oreo's fate: The steer would be butchered and the meat sent to St. Ann's Food Bank in Waynesburg on behalf of Consol Energy.
PG VIDEO: ENERGY COMPANIES AT FAIRThe natural gas industry is growing almost as fast as Oreo once did -- the steer went from 694 pounds to 1,524 in less than eight months -- and it turns out that one of the social events of the year, the county fair, isn't a bad way to introduce itself to its skeptical neighbors. Drilling in the natural gas rich Marcellus Shale has turned the annual summer gatherings into attractions with Nascar-style endorsements meant to help shore up support for a controversial industry planning on a decades-long investment in the region.
Local businesses have always vied for the ribbon that comes with a prized purchase, and the county fair season has introduced some heavy hitters to the mix.
It's an outreach program that can add some colorful assets to a company's portfolio.
Six of the seven champion lambs in Greene County were purchased by energy firms (the grand champion went to grocer Giant Eagle). At the Fayette County Fair earlier this month, guests took in events at the Chevron Outdoor Arena. Next week at the Washington County Agricultural Fair, fairgoers can participate in EQT Day with a Spam contest in the morning and barbershop chorus concert in the evening.
First Published August 14, 2011 12:00 am
