Hot and humid weather for a few days during the 2023 Shawano County Fair affected overall operating revenue, but the fair still turned a profit of about $178,000.
Scott Breitrick, president of the Shawano Area Agricultural Society Inc., which runs the county fairgrounds, presented the society’s annual report to the Shawano County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 24.
“You know it was kind of hot at the fair,” he said. “We lost two days of good fair weather. It didn’t have to be 100 degrees.”
Operating revenue for the fair totaled $557,401 for 2023, down about $12,000 from 2022. Expenses were at $379,039, just over $27,000 more than 2022.
On the Saturday of the fair, held over Labor Day weekend, a transformer between the pig and beef barns blew. Within two hours, it was fixed and running again.
“We know we got a lot of slack from people, ‘Animals died! Animals died!’” Breitrick said. “There’s no animal that died there. If anybody ever told you that, they’re lying.”
Due to the heat, organizers sprayed water on the roof of the rabbit barn, but Breitrick said it was not effective. He said they sprayed the roof for more than an hour and only saw a 5-degree drop in temperature. As soon as spraying stopped, the temperature rose again.
Some rabbits, chickens and other small animals were allowed to be taken home early to prevent any deaths.
“We did have about 60,000 people at the fair,” Breitrick said. “That’s still is pretty good for two days that wasn’t real good.”
He also noted the new 84-foot tall vertical ride went over well.
Organizers are searching for new entertainment on Labor Day.
“The demos are going back to one day instead of two days,” Breitrick said. “We’re looking for something to do on Monday, so if somebody has a suggestion, we’re willing to listen.”
He also highlighted the new bingo building and horse barn for the 2023 fair that featured nearly $500,000 in equipment and building expenses. Updated electrical service for campers in the northeast area of the fairgrounds was completed, and the fence along Fairview Way was straightened.
A new cooler for the food stand was purchased, and an ice cream machine, with costs reimbursed by the Farm Bureau, was purchased.
“The first night, we did $700 worth of ice cream out of there,” Breitrick said. “That was really good.”
As for the Shawano Speedway, races were held 21 nights with six nights rained out.
The raceway generated $564,636 in operating revenue while incurring $597,273 in expenses.
Auto Select is a sponsor for the 2024 race season. The company agreed to a $4,000 sponsorship for each of the next 10 years.
Building and ground rentals brought in $84,619, about $28,000 less than the year before. Expenses increased about $1,000 to $20,287.
Including general operating expenses, the financial report showed a deficit of $108,360 in net assets from operations. However, net assets at the end of the fiscal year (Oct. 31) totaled $863,229.
kpasson@newmedia-wi.com
Fairgrounds operate at deficit for 2023
