Tanana Valley State Fair posts 2009 profit, will return in 2010
Published Sunday, October 18, 2009
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Stumble It!FAIRBANKS — The Tanana Valley State Fair appears to be back in the black.
General Manager Randi Carnahan said the event made a small profit this August for the first time in five years. That ensures the fair will be back in 2010 after mounting losses put its future in jeopardy.
After expenses were taken from roughly $1.3 million in revenue, Carnahan said the fair cleared about $60,000. She said that money should be enough to pay bills for fuel, insurance, payroll and other expenses through March, when vendor deposits for the 2010 fair begin arriving.
Carnahan said the improved performance is due largely to a decision to scale back in 2009. The fair had previously included big-name musical acts and visiting entertainment, but the emphasis was this year changed to rides, food and local performers. That shift, along with staffing cutbacks, resulted in a cut of $180,000 in the fair budget.
“We were able to save a ton on the expense side,” Carnahan said. “We were trying to be a kind of fair we couldn’t afford to be.”
The Tanana Valley State Fair has been a tradition in Fairbanks since 1924, but it has struggled to break even in recent years. The fair lost about $200,000 in 2008 and had drained its savings after four straight years of losses.
The fair averaged 10,500 visitors per day this August. Carnahan said it’s tough to compare those figures to previous years because vendors were not included in the tally in 2009, unlike other fairs. She said including the vendor numbers gave deceptively high attendance figures.
Carnahan said that mostly favorable weather helped bring in the crowds. She said the numbers were a pleasant surprise, considering the dips in consumer spending that many businesses are struggling with.
“In this economy, it was really kind of a wild card how things were going to turn out,” she said.
Contact staff writer Jeff Richardson at 459-7518.
Community Discussion
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Goo for the fair and the managers. It is hard to cut back and make things work in a budget but they did it. Perhaps more organizations and governments could take a cue.
That should be "Good", I wouldn't wish Goo on the fair.
I bet they could have doubled that profit if gate admission was cheaper. I know a lot of people that skipped going this year because of the price. I would love to see them make attending more affordable next year.
Proud of you Randi! Great job!
And remember if you need to store rv's boats or cars for the winter you can do so at the fairgounds (indoor storage) for a reasonable fee, if they have any room remaining.
Way to go, Randi! This is a great achievement.
Now, how about announcing the Fair theme in January rather
than later so the crafters and vendors can design
to the theme with some lead time?
And how about some new vendors? Same old vendors,
same old merchandise = boring. Many of my favorite
vendors have left the Fair.
And - where was Folksinger this year?
i agree, same ol vendors yawnnnnn. get some new people, locals, native crafters would be great. lower the gate fee.
Frinkie sales were up this year.
Excellent job, Randi! My family and I enjoyed the fair each time we went - it was cleaner than ever, well managed, and all of our favorite vendors were there. The midway was pricy, but it's understandable - their insurance is ridiculously high (who's isn't? but that's another issue...) I'm happy for you, though, Randi. See ya next year!
What made a huge difference for my family and I was the increased security presence. Drunks were a rare site and anyone looking for trouble was very quickly removed, unlike previous years where there wasn't enough security. The increased police presence was a huge deterrent to the riffraff who just make people stay away from the fair. This was the first year I wasn't panhandled by some drunk or stared down by a punk kid looking for trouble.
I don't know much re the fair, these days, but it sounds like Randi is doing a really good job & deserves all our thanks. It's enlightening that they're using real attendance figures. And there's so much local talent. Hopefully, fair mgmt will continue to bring the fair home. Also re the comment above, about the security: thank goodness.
I was at the fair every day I dont know how you missed all the new faces there. I personaly counted 25 new vendors and at least 4 new food vendors. As for the pricing issue have you been to the fairs in the states lately? 12 dollars per person,and only a 2 dollar discount for seniors and childern I think we have it pretty damn good!!!!!
Well I been going since the 70's. I work remote so I miss it some years. Every time I go I see people I haven't seen in years. Young people with first loves. Young kids who are over the top with the rides and the animals and cotton candy. I ate Korean and halibut and hamburger, funnel cake, ice cream and a weird garlic artichoke. You want to see how diverse Fairbanks is go to the Fair. You want to see the best of Fairbanks go to the Fair. Its not to big or to small its for us and it fits. Good job Ms. Carnahan, I look forward to next year. As always.
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