Fair costs families, but it's no cash cow

By Ethan Forman
Staff Writer

October 04, 2008 12:15 am

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TOPSFIELD — The nation's oldest agricultural fair may have a lot of cows and plenty of fried dough, but it is no cash cow — and it is not rolling in dough, general manager James O'Brien says.

That might be surprising to seasoned fairgoers, who will pay $8 to park and $10 to $12 for each family member older than 8 to get in — children under 8 are free, and weekdays are $10 for adults, weekends $12. Ride tickets are $11 for 19 in advance. That does not include the price of the fried dough, sausage subs, turkey legs or games on the midway.

So, a family with two kids under 8, having shelled out $39 to $43 to get in and ride a few rides, might think the fair is awash in cash like the money pole, right?

Wrong. "It's a wash," O'Brien said. "Our whole thing is if we break even, I consider it a win."

Most years, the fair does break even, and whether it does depends mostly on the weather, which O'Brien says, knocking on his wooden desk, he hopes will be sunny, clear and in the 70s.

A peek at the nonprofit Essex Agricultural Society's books for the past three years shows the fair's operations made $407,000 last year and $476,000 in 2006, but in 2005, the fair lost about $23,200.

These numbers, contained in the society's annual audit, do not include other income and expenses, such as depreciation, "poultry, seed and veggie expenses," scholarships and other items.

The weather was mild the past two years, but rain in 2005 caused nearly 46,700 fewer people to pass through turnstiles than in the year before.

In 2005, income from parking, rides and admission was down nearly $600,000 from the $2.1 million the fair rang up in 2004, records show.

Even last year, when the weather was mostly mild, a rainy second Saturday morning depressed fair attendance, O'Brien said. He called it the "windshield effect." If people see rain on their windshield in the morning, they are unlikely to head to the fair in the afternoon.

"Even if the weather clears, we have a tendency of having a very down day," O'Brien said.

O'Brien said that's a shame because there are plenty of things to do indoors on the fairgrounds.

The fair has its share of bargains, too, O'Brien said, including the Masconomet Regional School's parking lot and shuttle bus program, which costs $5, and evening grandstand shows with acts like America and the Village People included with admission.

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The Topsfield Fair opened yesterday and runs through Oct. 13. Starting today, hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

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