The Santa Clara County Fair this summer racked up its worst loss
in six years, but county officials aren’t quite ready to write off
one of the region’s oldest agricultural traditions.
San Jose – The Santa Clara County Fair this summer racked up its worst loss in six years, but county officials aren’t quite ready to write off one of the region’s oldest agricultural traditions.
The five-day event showcasing farm animals and entertainment lost $416,000 this August, compared to a $209,000 shortfall during last year’s three-day run, according to a county analysis released Aug. 27. After a $285,000 county subsidy for marketing and entertainment, the net loss rung in at $131,000.
But county officials say the event, which last drew a profit in 1999 and saw its worst year in 2001 (when it lost $831,000), showed a few encouraging signs. Weekend crowds of 34,400 attendees represent the best turnout in a decade, nearly matching the entire attendance for all three days in 2006.
“It showed there’s a strong interest in the community in the fair,” said Art Troyer, executive director of the nonprofit Fairgrounds Management Corporation. “With the right mix of entertainment and marketing, you’ll get a good turnout.”
While county officials pegged the “break even” point this at 75,000 attendees, few if any expected the event to turn a profit. They have instead targeted the more modest goal of holding losses to $100,000 annually, with the hope of offsetting that shortfall by revenues from other events and creative uses of 160 acre fairgrounds in South San Jose.
Supervisor Don Gage, who represents South County, has tried to juggle the pressures of a $227 million county with an event near and dear to many constituents by calling for a two-year lease on life for the event. He was unavailable for comment Friday, but his Chief of Staff John Gibbs said the fair needs breathing room to allow “word to spread” about improvements in entertainment and the fairground facilities.
“I think it’s clear that the county fair is gong to need a subsidy again next year and the board will have to evaluate that when they evaluate other budget decisions,” he said. “But Supervisor Gage was pleased with the attendance numbers being up, and he believes it needs more than one year to get the fair back to the attendance levels it had in the past.”
In the meantime, the county is spending more than $4 million to improve facilities at the fairgrounds in hopes of re-energizing the Tet Festival and other money-makers that have traditionally helped subsidize the fair, which accounts for just 5 percent of the annual attendance at fairground events.
The county is also investigating potential revenues from selling off portions of the fairgrounds for housing or business development and creating a concert theater. Revenues from such improvements may help complete a decade-old plan to move the fair to South County.
Kristina Cunningham, chief of staff for County Supervisor Blanca Alvarado, said the supervisor is reserving judgment on the fate of the fair until March, when supervisors review applications from developers and others interested in using the fairgrounds for events and projects.
