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What will county fairs be like in the future?
By John Derby
June 16, 2011
 This week the Merced County Fair is in full swing and it is pretty much as we
are used to seeing the fair; packed full of entertainment for the whole family.
There will be the carnival rides and games, the food booths, the displays of
projects and the animal judging for the FFA and the 4H.
There will also be the nightly music entertainment with one big show on the last
night. It is expected to be a crowd pleaser and local fairgoers will have a
break from their school routine as well as chores at home to come out and relax.
This could all change next year as the state’s budget ax hits the Merced County
Fair. For starters the fair will not receive $168,000 in support from the state.
The fair will also have to pick up the tab on employee benefits and insurance
which was being paid by the state.
The fair manager has been asked to come up with a five-year plan to run the fair
without this assistance. That means the Merced County Fair will have to work on
the Pay as you Go plan.
There may be an increase in ticket prices to help offset the loss of revenue,
however, when the ticket prices are raised in a down economy, there is the fear
of losing customers. What makes the fair such a great event is that everyone can
afford to go.
This year one ticket covers all events at the fair with the exception of the
final big performance. The fair has been cut by one day to cut back on some
expense. It will start on Wednesday instead of Tuesday.
The fair already uses volunteers and that will become an even more important
factor in future years. More of the events such like the tractor parade will be
put on by non-profit groups or individuals.
Certainly Merced County Fair has a wealth of individuals and groups to draw on.
It will have to become a lot more innovative in keeping an exciting package for
the audience.
The mission of the fair will not change. It will still be a local event aimed at
good, clean fun for the whole family.
It just will need more help from the community it serves ... That’s us!
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