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FAIR ENOUGH?

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By LAURA KINSLER

lkinsler@tampatrib.com

Published: February 22, 2009

DADE CITY - The weather was beautiful for the 62nd annual Pasco County Fair, but a cloud of uncertainty hangs over the fairgrounds.

Organizers don't know whether the Florida State Fair Authority will extend the dates of the state fair next year from 12 to 18 days. If the Tampa group wins approval for its new dates, the larger state fair would overlap its neighboring county fair.

"We're going to have to wait and see," Pasco County Fair Association Chairman Wilton Simpson said.

The Florida State Fair Authority notified neighboring fairs of its proposed extension in October. Executive Director Chuck Pesano said the authority would file its official request with the state Department of Agriculture this week.

Three neighboring counties - Pasco, Hardee and Hernando - have filed objections to the new dates. Jim Ward, general manager for the Pasco County Fair, said he doesn't know how that would influence the decision.

"The state fair is like 'Big Brother,' and they're going to do what they want to do," Ward said.

Pesano said the state fair would try to minimize the impact on Pasco's fair. It would continue to schedule youth exhibitions in the first two weeks so students can show their livestock and plants at both fairs.

The ride operators should be able to accommodate both fairs, as well, Pesano said. But several food vendors could be asked to choose.

The Pasco County Fair has 22 food vendors - compared with more than 200 at the state fair. New vendors are recruited personally by Ward, and each has an exclusive contract to sell specific items, such as elephant ears, pizza or corn dogs.
Terry Gibbs has been the exclusive corn dog vendor at the county fair for 40 years. He also works the state fair and has a special arrangement with Pasco County to move one of his booths in on Tuesday morning. Four other concessionaires who work both fairs have the same arrangement because the fairs overlap on Presidents Day.

Gibbs said the vendors oppose the state fair extension.

"We're hoping they don't do it," he said. "They tried it years ago, and it failed miserably."

The Florida State Fair extended its event to 17 days in 1994 and 1995. The fair nearly went broke and switched back to a 12-day format in 1996.

"If you give people three weekends to go, they'll take three weekends to go," Gibbs said. "Tampa needs to get better entertainment if they want to get more people."

Pesano said state fair authority members are aware of the previous flop. They blamed the poor attendance those years on bad weather and poor marketing and think it will succeed this time.

"Our overall population has almost doubled since 1994," Pesano said. "We think if we add six more days, that's a 50 percent increase. Eventually, we'll see the attendance numbers go up 50 percent. It won't happen right away."

Ward remains skeptical. "History has shown that when a fair goes from 12 days to 17 or 18 days, attendance usually drops down," Ward said. "Miami can get away with it, but most of the others can't."

Lori Root, who operates Chili Pepper Cafe at both fairs, said she would give up the state fair to keep working the Pasco County event.

"We love this fair," she said. "It's like a family."

More importantly, she makes more money working six days in the smaller Pasco fair than she does working 12 days in Tampa. That's because she has exclusive rights to sell Mexican food at the fair, and because the state fair charges vendors higher rents.

"I charge lower prices here, and I still make more money," she said. "If it comes to the point of choosing, I would drop the state fair."

Pesano said it likely won't reach that point.

"We would be willing to allow our vendors to leave Monday if they want to work the Pasco County Fair," he said.

Reporter Laura Kinsler can be reached at (813) 779-4617.

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