“We are anticipating over 200 exhibitor booths at this year’s NEPC Produce & Floral Expo,” Laura Sullivan, executive director of the New England Produce Council, told The Produce News in early March. “We are very excited about our theme, “County Fair,” which will also be the theme for our booth-decorating contest and the overall show décor.”

The 2013 New England Produce & Floral Expo is the NEPC’s 14th annual event. It is being held  Wednesday, April 3, 2013 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center in Boston.

The “Come to the Country Fair” themed Expo offers up an interesting and appealing venue. For baseball fans especially, this year’s keynote speaker — Tim Wakefield, a retired right-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox — will be of great interest. Mr. Wakefield is considered by many to be one of the greatest knuckleball pitchers to have ever played baseball.

He was a well-seasoned New England athlete who is respected for his work both on and off the field. His dependability, durability and kind heart made him a fan favorite and one of the most charitable and community-minded Red Sox players ever. He has been nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award eight times, and he was named the recipient of this prestigious award in 2010. Mr. Wakefield was also the first Red Sox player to win the award.

He is actively involved with the Franciscan Hospital for Children in Boston and the Space Coast Early Intervention Center in his hometown. He has also lent his support to organizations such as Pitching in for Kids, the Jimmy Fund, the Touch ‘Em All Foundation, and he frequently visits children at the Dana Farber Cancer Center in Boston. He has hosted a charity golf tournament for almost 20 years. During the offseason, Tim resides in Florida with his wife and two children. In his spare time, he enjoys golfing, fishing and hunting.

Tuesday, April 2, kicks off the show with exhibitor move-in, set-up and registration from noon to 5 p.m. The cocktail reception on Tuesday is from 6-8 p.m. in the State Room of the convention center.

Wednesday brings a full day of activity at the Expo. Perishable set-up and registration is from 6-10 a.m., but the Expo committee urges everyone to avoid last minute glitches by setting up on Tuesday. General registration starts at 7:30 a.m., and the keynote breakfast begins at 8:30 a.m. The exhibition hall opens at 10 a.m. and closes at 4 p.m.

Ms. Sullivan said that people will still signing up to exhibit in early March and that she expects sizeable crowds from all of New England’s retail stores. It gets outstanding support from, for example, Tom Murray, vice president of operations of Roche Bros. Supermarkets, a 15-store chain in New England. Mr. Murray brings many of the company’s produce employees to the expo.

“We also garner great support from Mike Maguire, produce director for Market Basket,” said Ms. Sullivan. Market Basket is a chain of 65 stores based in Tewksbury, MA. “Ahold is also a big supporter.”

Ahold’s grocery store brands include Stop & Shop, Giant Food, Giant Food Stores, Martin’s Food Markets and Peapod. The company has a headquarter office in Quincy, MA.

“Big Y, Whole Foods and King Supermarkets are also big supporters of the NEPC Expo,” Ms. Sullivan added. “This show gives New England grocery stores an opportunity to have their produce managers and staff members visit the show so they can see how the produce food supply functions. Without this show many of them would never have that opportunity.”

She added that the NEPC show is very much alive and well.

“We have been around for a very long time,” she said. “We offer a unique opportunity for both suppliers and buyers.”