CulpeperFest award was a surprise to Lane

The day of the Chamber awards banquet, Culpeper County Sheriff H. Lee Hart told Captain Russell Lane to attend the event with him, and their wives were going, too.

Russell called his wife Kathy who gave him grief about giving her last-minute notice, and finding the perfect outfit to wear with only hours to spare was nearly impossible.

Little did Russell know that Kathy already knew about it and had her clothes lain out; it was all a ploy to keep him surprised.
Later that night, Michael Armm, co-chairman of the CulpeperFest committee, awarded Lane the CulpeperFest Award of Excellence - reserved for those who go above and beyond their normal call of duty.

"They totally caught me off guard," Lane said. "They really did."

The award is given to those who have been involved in CulpeperFest for at least five years, display a "can do" attitude and endless enthusiasm, exemplify a sense of community and commitment to Culpeper, are dedicated to the success of CulpeperFest and work as part of a team, according to the criteria.

Armm said the committee selected Lane hands-down, for his years of service to the event and constant support.

Lane, 53, is the first individual the chamber has singled out for the award; it usually goes to a business.

"He just put everything into it," Armm said. "Some people will ask 'doesn't the Sheriff's Department have a certain duty to work CulpeperFest-' And, yes they do because it's a large crowd gathering, but Russell always went way above that."

Armm said he put a lot of hours into the event and helped tackle parking problems.

"He always had a lot of enthusiasm and never looked for anything in return," he said.

In his years at CulpeperFest, Lane is usually the first one there and the last to leave. He organizes parking, bringing out six or seven deputies to help assist and provides security.

He's been helping since 1999 and one of the most unusual occurrences at the event was in 2002 when the governor came to visit and a tornado watch led everyone to seek shelter.

"The greenhouse had a special room for dangerous weather and a lot of people went into that," Lane said. "That came up so fast. I remember they got the governor in the car and took off."

Lane had to keep people calm, which he said wasn't a problem.
The biggest change he's seen since 1996, when he joined the Sheriff's Office, is how much CulpeperFest has grown.

When he first started working the event, about 1,200 to 1,500 people participated. Now, between 2,000 and 3,000 people attend.

"It's our community and it's a good event," he said. "It lets people know what we have in our community, really. … I hope it keeps growing."

As for winning the award, Lane is thankful.

The glass award that lights up will remain in the Sheriff's Office for one year. Then he must return it and he gets a small one to take home with him.

"I'm kind of proud of it, really," he said. "I think it's a right nice award. Yes, I am very proud."