Fayette County Fair Lost Money This Year Amidst Lower Attendance

The Fayette County Fair Association met Tuesday night, Oct. 5, to discuss the outcome of this year’s Fair, held on Labor Day weekend.

Organizers didn’t expect the Fair to break the bank this year due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fair President Michael Zuhn said season ticket sales this year were “pretty much on target.” Sales at the gate, however, were down.

“Walk-up sales were not where we wanted it to be,” he said. “Vendor sales were down too, because you didn’t have the number of people on the grounds. Sponsorship money was not what we normally have, either.”

Zuhn said the event did not make a profit this year. A financial report presented at Tuesday’s meeting showed a loss of about $100,000. They began the Fair weekend with $283,900 in the bank. The report showed an ending balance of $181,487.

“We still have checks coming in, so I don’t think the loss will be that much in the end,” Zuhn said after the meeting.

Still, the Fair managed to raise more than $400,000 for local youth exhibitors in the commercial heifer show. Zuhn said the Fair Association intends to award $20,000 in scholarships as it has done in years past.

The Fair also received high marks for the quality of this year’s carnival.

Not everything went well, though.

Several Association members raised complaints about plumbing problems on the fairgrounds, the poor state of the restrooms, overflowing dumpsters, long working hours, high ticket prices, and communication breakdowns.

Colton Brugger spoke about “leaky” gates and beer sales, suggesting that many attendees who should have paid for a ticket were getting in for free or drinking alcohol not sold through the Fair.

“That’s throwing money away,” he said.

Carol Svrcek, who ran the guest services booth, criticized the company Saphire, which provided the “Blast Pass” card payment system. She said the company assigned representatives to stay on-site at the Fair, but those representatives were nowhere to be found when Fair volunteers needed assistance.

Svrcek also said the Fair should rename the guest services booth. The booth mainly serves as a payment center where attendees exchange money for credits on their Blast Pass card. However, Svrcek said many people came to the booth to report problems or file complaints, especially about the restrooms.

“It was not a fun Fair for me,” Svrcek said.

At times Tuesday discussion turned to shouts and even a few curses.

“That’s kind of normal after the Fair,” Zuhn said after the meeting. “We put those things out there and then go to work on them for the next year. At the end of the day, we’re all here to serve the community and serve the youth.”

The Association didn’t set anything in stone for next year’s Fair, but they discussed a few possible changes. They spoke about changes to ticket pricing. Tickets this year were $40 for people aged 12 and up. Kids 11 and under get in for free. Association members discussed possibly lowering the price, offering discount prices for ages 12 to 18, or early entrance discounts on Saturday and Sunday.

They also discussed changes to bus transportation. Vice president Lee Fritsch said the buses cost the Fair about $33,000 to $34,000. But few attendees used the buses. Members discussed partnering with local churches to provide bus services next year or limiting bus transportation to Saturday and Sunday only.

Many members spoke about communication breakdowns. Organizers attempted to use cell phones to contact one another during the Fair, but loud noises and congestion hampered phone calls. LCRA provides the Fair with radios for the event, but they were not used to their full potential. The Association discussed putting the radios to better use next year.

The biggest complaints this year involved dirty restrooms and plumbing problems. Zuhn said the Association would hire a different cleaning crew next year. In addition, the membership discussed hiring a handyman to remain on-call throughout the fair. That person would be responsible for identifying and repairing plumbing or electrical issues during the Fair or calling a contractor for major repairs.

The Association welcomed several new members at Tuesday’s meeting. They included Brandon Scheilack, Sherry and Hector Cervantes, Kayla Kaspar, Peyton Hemmitt, Erin Schneider, Cheryl Ott, Phylis Fritsch, Mary Lou Fritsch and Colton Zoch.

They also re-elected board members with terms expiring: Barbara Kalina, Glenna Laffey, Virginia Ohnheiser, Dennis Belota, Scott Willey and Brandi Chovanec. Shannon Hemmitt and Kayla Ahlschlager ran for an open seat on the board, with Ahlschlager winning the seat.

An officer election was also held. President Michael Zuhn, vice-president Lee Fritsch, secretary Barbara Kalina and treasurer Tish Muniz were all nominated for re-election. Virginia Ohnheiser received a nomination for vice president. Fritsch won that election and the rest of the board were re-elected.