Fans watching the 55th edition of the Jugette this afternoon at the Delaware County Fair may have noticed that the Hall of Fame announcer Roger Huston was not on the call for the three-year-old filly pacing classic and that was by design.

 

Huston, who had called all 54 previous Jugettes and 57 straight Little Brown Jugs, notified Jug officials that he wanted to step back and call fewer races during Jug week, electing to start with today’s Jugette.

 

“We can not thank Roger enough for everything he does for Delaware,” said Tom Wright, president of the Little Brown Jug Society. “I was saddened when Roger approached me with this request. For anybody who knows Roger would understand his desire to do it ‘his way.’”

 

Huston was hired in August 1967 by Henry “Hank” Thomson to serve as the announcer during the Grand Circuit stop at Delaware.

 

Since 1967, more than 4,200 races have been conducted at the Delaware County Fair, almost all of them with Huston behind the mic.

 

“I just want to make it clear. I am not retiring,” noted Huston, who celebrated his 83rd birthday yesterday (Tuesday). “I just felt it was the right thing to do, to give another young man the opportunity to live out their dream.”

 

That ‘young man’ is Jason Settlemoir, who has served as Huston’s assistant announcer since 2012.

 

Settlemoir is a native of Newark, Ohio and has been coming to the Jug since 1988.

 

“Roger has been like a father to me. He has been a great mentor and friend,” noted Settlemoir. “I am proud that he has the confidence in me to carry on this tradition.”