Amid potential cuts, Grant County fair maintains

MOSES LAKE — Gov. Chris Gregoire’s proposed budget aims to decrease

funding to Washington agricultural fairs, according to a statement

from the Washington State Fairs Association (WSFA).

The statement declared that some fairs would not survive if the

state funds supporting fairs were cut.

“We used to get $3 million to $4 million a year then we got dropped

down to $2 million a year,” WSFA President Val Watson says. “We do

a lot of good with that money. It’s going to affect a lot of jobs,

vendors, entertainers... It’s just a domino effect for a lot of

people.”

The state’s Fair Fund currently has a balance of $2 million

scheduled to be paid to 68 Washington fairs in the spring.

“A

lot of these monies are used for premiums; how do we expect people

to bring their items and not get a premium?” Watson says.

The governor’s plan would remove more than half of the fund in

addition to the $200,000 awarded for health upgrades such as hand

washing stations and restroom remodels, according to the WSFA

statement.

“We’re trying to get everybody on board that we can to contact

their legislator to tell them how important these fairs are,”

Watson says.

In

Grant County the fairgrounds receive about $40,000 from the state

fund.

Neighboring Adams County receives around $35,000.

“Of course it would put strain on us,” says Grant County

Fairgrounds Manager Peggy Fitch. “But the fair would still go

on.”

Fitch says funding from the Department of Agriculture’s Fair Fund

is a big part of the budget, but it isn’t all of it.

“I

think all different areas of fairgrounds operations would be

affected in some way, staff definitely, and the fair would have to

take cuts.” Fitch said. “But any of the youth projects and

functions that we do, I don’t think any of those would be

eliminated.”

The Grant County Fairgrounds brings in an annual revenue a little

more than $1 million, according to County Commissioner Cindy

Carter, and has plenty of events that fund it’s operations.

“Funds from events such as cage fights, wedding receptions, RV

shows and more all go to the fairgrounds,” Carter says. “With the

new arenas, horse barns and such we’re seeing a lot of horse shows.

Sometimes we’ve been triple-booked.”

“I

don’t think we’re in any danger of losing our fair this year,”

Carter says.

For the past few years, more than 45,000 people have attended the

Grant County fair.

There are fairgrounds in every county except King County.