The one constant of life is change. While some changes are greatly anticipated and appreciated, others are much harder to accept.
A major change has taken place this year at the Magee Campground adjacent to the Washington Parish Fairgrounds. Mr. Marvin Magee will not be at the campground this year for the first time since its inception. Sadly, he passed away on February 5, 2023, from laryngeal cancer. His close friend Gilda McCain noted this recently and shared that it was a change almost too much for those who loved him to accept.
Once upon a time there was no such thing as camping at the fair. Marvin Magee changed that.
According to Marvin's son, Todd, the family moved to Fairgrounds Road in 1978 when he was a junior in high school. At that time the landscape was much different. The railroad tracks that ran north from town just across the road from the rodeo arena were still in place and with only a small clearing, the area that is now the campground was barely visible from the road. It was a popular "Lover's Lane" and hangout spot for area teens then as well.
Marvin placed a mobile home on the property and during the fair his friends Junior Sumrall, Jimmy Simmons, and others would come by to visit, cook, and enjoy the fair from within walking distance. Then those friends brought in their campers and hooked up to Marvin's home with electrical extension cords.
While Todd was away at college and later in the Air Force, a transformation began on the Magee property, and the campground that folks now know and can hardly imagine not being there was born.
Fast forward to September 25, 2023. Campers have already begun to arrive and get in place for the fair which is still three weeks away. Todd Magee and close friend Randy Jenkins were found power-washing the Victorian home where Marvin lived. They work year-round to maintain the property, keeping it mowed, removing fallen limbs, and performing general maintenance.
The house is the former Zuma Magee home that Marvin purchased and had moved from town to Fairgrounds Road in the late 1980's. He added a large deck to the rear of the house that enabled him to do his favorite fair activities: People watch and visit with folks who stopped by.
The deck has been the site of ladies' clubs having a "fall outing" to Marvin's nephew Michael Varnado holding a book signing for his popular Loss of Faith (the true accounting of the Dead Man Walking story) and Soft Targets (stories of victims of violent crime in Washington Parish)
.But mostly the deck and its prime location is where Marvin spent his days as the hustle and bustle of the fair happened literally at his back door.
From those humble beginnings with Marvin's friends, the property now has approximately 250 sites for campers. Each site has electrical and water hook-up, and some have sewage hookup available. When asked why not install sewage to all the sites, Todd answered very practically. Currently, families and friends are able to pull in and park facing each other, some forming a circle or square where the door sides of the campers face each other with picnic tables and fire pits in the middle. This allows campers to enjoy sitting outside together whether to eat or simply to discuss the days' events. Some may not even sleep there at night, but the campground provides a home base for families and rest stop before heading back to the fairgrounds for more of the never-ending action. Were sewer access run to each spot, such parking would no longer be feasible.
When asked further about his dad, Todd laughingly added that he was known for his "Marvinizing" which was his way of solving a problem.
Todd bragged as only a son can when he said, "He was an idea man." One example is when Marvin took a tractor and installed a forklift on the front. It is used to help campers squeeze into those tight configurations that the owners enjoy.
Local resident Sharon Rogers Smith explained that to her late husband Raymond, that old tractor was just the thing. When they first began camping, Raymond was not yet skilled at maneuvering his camper, Sharon explained. "Mr. Marvin saw us pulling in and immediately he came over and with a great big smile asked Raymond 'You need some help? Let me get the tractor and I will take you to your spot!'"
Sharon added, "Needless to say, he calmed my nerves and for over the next 27 years camping at Mr. Marvin's, this would always be our first greeting from him when camping at the fair. Mr. Marvin was intelligent, warm, and always kind to our family, and we were fortunate enough to call him our friend."
Some might say Marvin Magee revolutionized the "fair experience" by opening his campground. There are generations of young people who never knew the fair without the campground.
One of the only negatives has been the impact on daily fairgoer parking, but this is also a problem on the town side of the fairgrounds as well as more and more residents have stopped parking cars in their yards and instead have installed camper spots. But it was the experience and personal relationship that Marvin had with his customers that made a difference to many. Local businessman Mike McNeal Jr. recalls that Mr. Marvin was always extremely helpful in getting one's RV in just the right location and he would assist with setup any way he could. Mike chuckles when he recalls how his group always set up the weekend before the fair and would just hang out and cook every day. Mr. Marvin would ride by on his golf cart and see what was for dinner and then sit and visit. The McNeal's camping group always barbecued or fried fish, and Mr. Marvin would show up right on time to eat. Mike also pointed out, "Mr. Marvin was very family oriented, and he had a zero- tolerance fight policy for all campers and their guests. If anyone was caught fighting, they were banned from the premises forever, no exceptions. He loved to have a good time and wanted other to enjoy themselves, but he didn't put up with any bull." Todd Mage also noted how kids can freely run around the area and play catch or chase without fearing for their safety.
Another fond memory Mike and likely a few others have of Marvin is of him sitting on the porch in the late evening after a long day of mowing and getting ready for the big week. Mike further reminisces, "I would go by and visit with him during such days, and we would solve the world's problems. He was a really great man that is missed by many."
Many things have changed in relation to the fair over the past 100-plus years since its humble beginnings. One change has been the desire of folks to camp nearby and make the fair a fulltime family event instead of leaving each day and traveling home to Bogalusa, Pine, Angie, neighboring parishes, somewhere in Mississippi or even just as far as a few blocks down Main Street in Franklinton. For some this small town can jokingly be classified as "camper city" during that magical third week in October. But this wasn't always the case. It took a pioneer spirit, like so many in this parish represent, that changed this. That "camp at the fair" pioneer was Marvin Magee.
