Posted: 8/6/03

Fair officials mull future

Cliff Buchan
News Editor

A two-way radio strapped to Byron Andersonís belt chattered repeatedly as Washington County Fair officials kept in touch with the fair board president.

For the long-time Hugo man and farmer, it was just one of the things that kept him busy last week.

On Thursday, Anderson spent the morning running the swine show for county 4-H youth and open classes. Heís been the fairís swine superintendent for a number of years now.

As Anderson stepped between duties with the hog show and his role as president of the fair board, he stopped for a picnic lunch with his family and friends and then hurried off to the sheep judging show where his grandchildren had 4-H projects.

Anderson is typical of the core group of Washington County residents who mix family and volunteerism to make the county fair a success. As president of the fair board, the Hugo man has taken on extra duties to help the non-profit organization succeed with the fair, a summer tradition in the county for 132 years now.

And it is volunteers like Anderson who will be needed more and more as the county fair board faces an uncertain future as funding sources continue to dry up.

Concerns for future

As the 132nd annual fair concluded on Sunday, planners are already thinking ahead to 2004.

For Byron Anderson, 63, and his son Steve, also serving on the eight-member county fair executive board, the future holds promise but there is financial uncertainty in making the fair profitable.

ìEverybody is looking to cut, cut,î Steve Anderson said last week.

The Andersons are among those frustrated by decisions by the Washington County Board that will eliminate all county funding for the fair.

That fact and severe restrictions applied in form of a conditional use permit to the fairgrounds in Baytown Township have greatly limited the ability of the Washington County Agriculture Society to raise revenue via rental of the fairgrounds.

The county board is acting under a plan that will reduce funding to the county fair by $7000 a year until the county is free and clear of all funding responsibilities. The 2003 county contribution to support the fair was just under $55,000.

The decision is a result of steadily falling state aid to the county.

Keeping the fair afloat financially is a test and a task, the two Andersons said.

The county fair operates on an annual budget in the area of $250,000. Some $45,000 of the budget goes to the free entertainment offered to the public.

Gate receipts ($5 for adults, kids 6-15 pay $2) and income from vendors, the carnival and concessionaires are doing their part. ìWe donít make a whole lot (of profit) from the fair,î Byron Anderson said. ìThatís why we need to find other revenue sources.î

As the county funding continues to be reduced and fair costs continue to grow, Anderson says the fair board faces difficult choices in the years ahead.

The board may be forced to consider another hike in the admission rate and study a nominal fee for parking. Parking on the grounds is now free.

The board is also looking at other belt-tightening steps that include stepping back on some maintenance expenses and possibly cutting the premiums paid to 4-H winners. Both are not desirable but may be necessary, Steve Anderson said.

ìThe direction of the county commissioners is that they want it (the fair) to stand on its own,î Steve Anderson said. ìWe need to find more funding sources,î his father adds.

Permit headaches

The Andersons are two board members frustrated by the restrictions of the CUP and the funding cuts from the county. The frustration is fueled by the fact the county board is taking less and less responsibility with the annual county fair.

The fair board acquired the fairgrounds site in the late 1960s and moved to the property nestled between Stillwater and Lake Elmo in 1969. The fact that the fairground is owned and the fair is run by a non-profit fair board means less responsibility for the county board.

Washington County is a rarity in a state where the county, or some municipality, does not have ownership and responsibility for the fairgrounds, the board members said.

With the mandate to be self supporting, the Andersons believe the county is making that task hard with the restrictions of the conditional use permit. Over the past 30 years, the land surrounding the fairgrounds has continued to develop and some of the new residents have objected to non-fair activities that have taken place on the grounds.

One way for the fair board to make its budget is to rent the grounds. But the CUP has tacked on restrictions ó 24 horse shows and 12 dog shows a year are two of the limits, Byron Anderson said.

The permit is designed to see that the grounds are used primarily for agricultural related functions. Limited exceptions include summer antique markets and soccer tournaments.

ìItís hard to do,î Byron Anderson admits of the struggle to raise revenues to support the county fair operation. While the county fair is generally self-supporting, other revenues are needed for ongoing maintenance and the need to improve facilities on the grounds.

Earlier this summer the fair board allowed a Stillwater auto dealer to park cars on the grounds when its vehicle inventory became too large for its main location. There was no noise and no crowd from the grounds use, but the fair board was forced by the county to have the cars moved after the county received a complaint that the parking violated the fair boardís CUP.

Such are the hurdles and hassles the fair board must handle, Steve Anderson said.

More volunteers

The two Andersons remain optimistic for the future of the county fair but say the role volunteers play will be even more crucial in the years to come.

ìI think the fair will survive but there is a lot of pressure on the volunteers,î Steve Anderson said.

As a business owner in Forest Lake and the parent of kids in 4-H, Anderson says he is following in a family tradition of county fair involvement. Thatís why he continues to volunteer.

Byron Anderson said the fair board displayed its confidence in the future by recently agreeing to buy 17 acres that adjoin the fairgrounds. A 30-year note will finance the purchase that Anderson says was made at a bargain rate from the property owned who wanted the land left in the fair boardís hands.

The land will be used for additional parking while the board considers the addition of more soccer fields and a new horse complex.

Anderson calls the purchase a ìbig leapî but says it speaks well for the future of the county fair.

Anderson believes the county fair can gain energy from the constant stream of new people moving to the county. He says the county fair board is always looking for new volunteers and ideas.

ìWe need new people to get involved,î Anderson said. That from a fair volunteer who has spent the past 45 years taking part in the Washington County Fair.

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