James July-August 2025 web - Flipbook - Page 79
n 1983 a group of
Georgia legislators, led
by state Reps. Henry
L. Reaves and Larry
Walker, Jr., met at the
Georgia Capitol building to discuss the creation of a new,
state-owned agriculture center that
would be able to showcase the fruits
(and livestock) of the state’s largest
industry. The idea was received
warmly by then-Gov. Joe Frank
Harris, sparking a heated campaign
between municipalities up and
down the state to host the ambitious
new project. That race came down
to two cities, Macon and Perry— the
county seat of Houston County and
hometown of Representative Walker.
The winner? Well, let’s just say that
the center now sits directly off Larry
Walker Parkway.
Walker, along with the Georgia
Agricultural Exposition Authority, created to manage the project, wanted
not only to promote agribusiness and
host a statewide agricultural fair, but
also to provide a place for the state’s
youth to learn and compete in exhibitions related to farming.
“Larry Walker Jr.’s vision and
establishment of the center’s core
mission of serving young people still
drives the day-to-day operation of
this facility,” Stephen Shimp, executive director of the Agricenter tells
James. “He laid the groundwork and
path for us as current stewards of
this amazing facility and program.”
The Agricenter is certainly no
vanity project, either. The Georgia
National Fair brings in a half-million
visitors on its own each fall, and the
center hosts another 180-plus events
throughout the year to bring that
total up above one million guests
annually. A 2022 study from UGA’s
Carl Vinson Institute of Government estimated visitor spending at
around $56 million per year between
Larry Walker, Jr. (center) and his family attend
the groundbreaking of the Larry Walker Arena at
the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter
lodging, food and retail, making it
an enormous economic driver for
Houston County and the surrounding region. Events like the National
Junior High Rodeo Finals, Georgia
Junior National Livestock Show and
National Barrel Horse Association
Youth World Championships call Perry home, making use of world class
facilities tailored to meet the very
specific needs of livestock events.
Coming Full Circle
Politics, like farming, is a family
business. Larry Walker, Jr. spent
more than 30 years under the Gold
Dome, serving as floor leader for
Harris and later as House Majority
Leader. Today his son, state Sen. Larry Walker, III, carries on the family
legacy of public service. He serves
as chairman of the Senate Insurance
and Labor Committee and works to
ensure his home district’s Agricenter
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