March 29, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Bangor Fair proceeds about same as last year

The numbers are not all in but city officials say that the city should make as much money from the Bangor State Fair this year as it did last year.

“It was a good fair,” Kurt Rogerson, general manager of Bass Park, said Thursday after a meeting with councilors. “Attendance-wise, we were up 5 percent in a difficult economy. That 5 percent translates to $28,000 in paid admissions.”

More than 100,000 people paid admission to the 143rd edition of the fair making the paid gate $600,072. Revenue from other sources, including rental of exhibition space, sponsors and parking, amounted to nearly $68,000.

The expense side of the ledger is incomplete. Some of the expenses will not be tallied until the city closes its books on the month of August. Those expenses that are in — advertising, the midway operator and premiums — are tracking close to last year’s levels.

“We really won’t know for sure but we think we’ll net out in the $50,000-$60,000 range,” Rogerson said.

Last year, the city realized $62,000 in profit from the fair.

“We don’t have all the numbers yet but we’re thinking it’ll be about the same as last year,” City Manager Edward A. Barrett said. “If it comes out that way, that’s OK.”

Rogerson met Thursday with the Bass Park Committee of the City Council and reviewed the fair’s finances.

“The numbers aren’t compete and we need to know money-wise how we did,” Councilor Marshall M. Frankel said. “But the fair itself did all right.”

Councilor Patricia Blanchette echoed those views. She added, “Attendance was up but people just weren’t spending once they were in.”

Councilors and staff also laid plans to improve the product next year.

“This is the time to start planning next year’s fair,” Rogerson said.

Rogerson and his staff have two pages of recommended changes for next year and councilors have some thoughts of their own. The ideas range from changing the location of a portable toilet to the need for more signs and the necessity of locating an information booth on the midway.

“The committee asked to get together with staff to sit down and talk about what happened, how we can improve, especially those things we can jump on first,” Blanchette said.

One other issue raised at the meeting was the prospect for harness racing in the fall. The city has state authorization to run a short meet. Committee members are leaning against fall dates but have made no formal decision.

Rogerson has solicited the thoughts and concerns of the horsemen to see how they feel. He also said several factors could combine to create a poor meet. If the weather turns bad, the horse supply proves inadequate, and the betting public feels the pinch of the economy, the fall meet could turn sour.

“This might not be the best year to try something new like that,” Rogerson said.


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