What's it cost to put on a county fair

PRINCETON — For years, county fairs have been meant to be the highlight of summer — a time to kick back, celebrate and enjoy some traditional and new activities at one's local fairgrounds.

Unfortunately though, that fun doesn't come cheap. And it doesn't help the state has drastically cut funding for county fairs, which has threatened some area fairs to close their gates for good.

Despite this financial trend on the state level, the Bureau County Fair continues to be a profitable event. While "going strong" isn't the description Bureau County Fair Board President Pete Reviglio would use, he said the fair is chugging along and no longer relies on state money.

Most years, the fair either breaks even or makes a little profit that helps boost monies for the next year's event

Two years ago, the fair board received notice from the state it would stop sending money but asked the board to continue sending in required paperwork for the funding.

Reviglio said while it was a joke to the board to have to send in the paperwork, they followed orders and doing so paid off. At the last minute this year, the board received a $13,000 check they were able to put toward financing this year's fair.

"They haven't totally cut us off," Reviglio said.

Going forward, the board will continue to not rely on funding from the state, and if a check does come through the mail, it will be used as nothing more than a bonus.

Today, a big portion of the fair is covered by sponsorships and entry fees. Money raised from the fair's annual fundraiser Night at the Races also helps with costs, as do revenues made from renting out the fair buildings in the winter. Reviglio said about 30 percent of the fair expenses are covered by these fees.

What sets Bureau County Fair apart from others?

People from all over the surrounding area—from the Quad Cities to Chicago suburbs— flock to the fair each for the annual concert. While a lot of fairs in the area have had to do away with big concerts because of funding, Bureau County continues to uphold tradition, even through the entertainment comes with a large ticket price.

This year's Dustin Lynch concert cost about $75,000.

"The concert is a tough gig, but as long as I'm president, we will keep having them because that's what I think is holding the fair together," Reviglio said. "Even if we took a small loss on it —in the long run, it brings people to the fair."

The North American Midway Carnival is also another attraction Bureau County has over other county fairs that no longer provide a carnival.

Reviglio said with the long-time relationship with North American Midway, it comes at no cost, and the fair board gets a cut of what they make each year. In years past, the fair board has received anywhere between $15,000 and $20,000 from carnival sales.

'We do make a little from it, and honestly, that's mostly where our profit comes from," he said.

Attendance is key in Bureau County

Getting people to the Bureau County Fair is key. Attendance numbers are the huge factor in being able to provide the extra fun, free entertainment, Reviglio said, adding many fairs in the area charge a parking fee to get in, however, in Bureau County the fee is $5 a person.

The money made from this fee helps cover the entertainment like this year's Wild World of Animals show, which cost about $10,000.

"There has been talk about doing away with paying for a show like that and trying to do away with charging at the gate, but I think we need that money at the gate to keep the fair going. It's plain and simple," Reviglio said.

Last year, the fair had one of the best attendance rates in a long time, which helped cover the cost of last year's event and helped cushion this year's planning. While numbers are still being calculated for this year, Reviglio said attendance was down a bit because of the rainy weather.

A big factor that hurts the fair's attendance rate each year is the timing. Fair week just happens to fall during the time students are returning to school. Changing the weekend of a fair is a hassle, Reviglio said, and won't happen in Bureau County.

"Anything you put on in the evening, it can't run late because even parents during a week night don't want to be out until midnight or 1 a.m.," he said. "But, if you look at the numbers the fair gets on a Saturday and compare them to what they could get on a Thursday and Friday, it would be great."

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