Window World owner featured in tandem jump at Canfield Fair

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the time frame of Fred Moran’s service in Germany.

By GUY D’ASTOLFO

dastolfo@vindy.com

CANFIELD

Fred Moran has been known to stand on his windows.

But can he land on one as he’s dropped from the sky?

Moran will help open the 173rd Canfield Fair on Aug. 29 by parachuting out of airplane at the opening ceremony, which starts at 10 a.m.

Moran, 84, owns Window World with his son, Pat, and grandson, Patrick. The three men are known for their local television commercial in which they stand on their windows and say, “We don’t just stand behind our windows; we stand on them.”

The company is sponsoring the three-person All Veterans Group in a parachute jump to open the fair. Moran, of Poland, will join them, jumping in tandem with Sgt. Michael Elliott, a parachuting expert who has done tandem jumps with many people, including the late President George H. Bush on his 90th birthday.

He won’t actually get a chance to try to land on a window, explained his son, Pat, at a news conference Wednesday at the Canfield Fairgrounds.

“You have to be running when you hit the ground,” Pat said. The touchdown will take place near the VIP parking lot south of the fairgrounds.

Window World has made it a practice to support veterans groups, specializing in transportation services and in job finding.

Fred Moran is an Army veteran who was stationed in Germany in the late 1950s, said his son.

Also at the news conference, it was announced ground will broken Sept. 25 for an events center that will enclose 49,000 square feet when it is complete.

The first phase of the $8.1 million project will include construction of the structure’s main area.

The events center will not only become the new home of the 4-H Club Junior Fair, but will also be available as a year-round rental venue for trade and horse shows, home and garden shows and other events, said David Dickey, president of the Canfield Fair board.

“The whole community can use it,” said Dickey.

It will be located at the intersection of Wetmore and Goshen lanes in the fairgrounds.

A capital campaign that started three years ago has raised $3 million so far, said Dickey.

The fair board has added Youngstown-based businesswoman Bergen Giordani to take over the capital campaign.

After the first phase is complete, the remaining phases will be added on in stages. They will include a kitchen, conference rooms and a horse barn.