Fair Desperately Needs Big-Name Acts
A church youth group was meeting a few weeks back and scheduling fall activities. Asked if they wanted to go to the Spokane Interstate Fair, there was considerable agreement - not to go.
Kids not wanting to go to a fair?
They are not alone. There has been much discussion on why the numbers at the fair are way down this year. Talk centers on the smoking issue and certainly that was one reason.
Other figures show some booths did their best business ever, by a long shot - ban or no ban. So go figure!
A county poll shows a seven percent drop attributed to the smoking ban. Yet numbers were down 18 percent. Well, polls can answer some things and produce as many or more questions than they answer.
But it’s obvious something is amiss at the Fairgrounds.
A lot of kids can’t wait to get there, sure. But it may appear that other kids - and adults - find the place dated and even boring.
Former fair director Francine Boxer says that’s not the case and cites many factors for lower attendance. The fair started later than usual and ran head-on into the opening of school football season and a Spokane Symphony concert all of which normally would have been later. And the weather was almost too nice for fairgoing. A little chill in the air, leaves turning, the rustle of harvested corn stalks were absent. Folks were still at the lake or working in their still-green gardens.
The Puyallup Fair charges $7.50 for adult admission, a whole half-dollar more than the Interstate Fair. And there’s a lot more to see there. Sure, that’s mainly because the pool of visitors is way bigger than here.
But that fair has something else - big-name entertainment year after year. Now you do pay extra for that, but generally your $25-$35 ticket to the stars includes gate admission.
Boxer cites the Yakima Fair as an example that Spokane should look at. For just a few bucks more, you get bigger name entertainment. Maybe not Puyallup Fair caliber, but bigger than we normally get for the Interstate Fair.
Will folks pay? Well, other stars or acts fill the Arena or Opera House for many times the price of fair admission, so maybe people would pay.
But where to put the stars? The grandstand and stage area are puny and using Seafirst Stadium facilities has its drawbacks for such events, such as the sound system.
The grandstand is undergoing a substantial upgrade which will include a new sound system. That will be most welcome.
Beyond capital fixes, one other question is: Is the rural-fair concept going the way of the 20th century? Towns like Rockford thrive on the small-town homey atmosphere of a fair. But are folks in Spokane and the Valley wanting to move to a whole new look and approach to community display?.
That’s not necessarily progress. It would be sad indeed to weaken our connection to our region’s rural heritage, to agriculture, to the small towns surrounding Spokane. The fair folks are cognizant of this balancing act, says Boxer, and work hard to make changes each year to improve the fair.
Do we, as the fair-going public, want a fair to reflect our country’s roots and that’s all, or might we also want a fair that reflects our past but has the attention-getting, futuristic slant?
Before the next fair opens, county officials ought to provide an opportunity for the public to answer the question.