The Fremont Fair is in jeopardy for the first time in its 30 years after a rainstorm, a drop in sponsorship and inflating insurance costs put a damper on this year's June event.
Revenue from this year's fair fell dramatically, leaving leaders of the Fremont Public Association (FPA), which runs the fair, with some difficult decisions: They can reduce fair expenses and continue to put on the fair; they can contract someone to organize the fair; or they can stop operation, said Cheryl Cobbs, executive director of the FPA.
"We want to keep the fair going," Cobbs said. "It's a great community event."
Lower turnout
Every year, the Fremont Fair - along with the Fremont Solstice Parade, which is run separately by the Fremont Arts Council - rings in the summer by bringing a unique blend of music, food, crafts and entertainment to Seattle.
All proceeds benefit the FPA, a nonprofit organization with more than 25 programs that fight hunger, poverty, homelessness, violence and unemployment in Seattle and King County, said Paul Haas, development director for the FPA.
It costs about $245,000 to organize and operate the fair, Cobbs said. Last year, the fair made about $272,000. This year, however, it only brought in $238,000, leaving them with $30,000 less than last year and about $7,000 in the hole.
Three major factors contributed to the loss, Cobbs said. Corporate sponsorship overall was way down due to such factors as the lagging economy; insurance costs for the fair more than tripling, going from $11,000 to $36,000; and "the weather wasn't great," leaving them with less profits from food and beverage sales, Cobbs said.
According to Haas, the FPA will meet with community members, business owners, organizations and the chamber of commerce over the next several weeks to re-examine all aspects of the fair's operations to determine the best ways to keep it running.
They'll also look at ways other successful fairs have been run, he said.
Loss of local foot traffic
Greg Baker, chairman for the Fremont Retail Organizational Group, said there's no doubt business owners will feel the effects if the fair were to discontinue operations.
Baker, whose wife owns Gypsy Trader on Stone Way North, said the stores near where the fair takes place receive a lot of extra foot traffic for those two days. He said a few new stores even had their grand openings just prior to the fair for that reason.
But William Elder, executive director of the Fremont Chamber of Commerce, said the issue isn't as much about losing money, but more about not being able to fund the programs that are operated by the FPA with proceeds from the fair.
"That, after all, is their business: helping those in need - not event promotion," he said.
He said the big concern was the surprising increase in insurance.
"If the Fremont Fair's insurance can triple in a single year, what about all the other festivals and events in Seattle?" he asked.
Committed to finding solutions
The FPA is still in the early stages of deciding what options they have to resolve the problem, and no one can say for certain if the fair would be around next year.
But Haas said the FPA will work with the community and the chamber of commerce to come up with a plan by November, and they'll do everything they can to bring the fair back.
"We're really committed to this event," he said.
And Elder said the FPA will do what's best for themselves and the fair. "We are confident that the FPA will find a way around this bump in the road," he said.
