SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Sheldon Geison is used to winning contests for such things as best plate of sweet corn and best grain bundle at the Illinois State Fair.
But the farmer’s prizes were on the light side this year: only $20 for the corn and $5 for the grain.
“It’s not a lot to some people, but it’s gas money down [to the fair] and back,” said Mr. Geison, who would have won $54 and $10 for the same titles last year.
Mr. Geison can blame it on the sour economy. With Illinois facing a $5 billion budget deficit, lawmakers are cutting back on prize money, maintenance and advertising at the state fair.
It’s a story playing out across the country: Families seeking their annual dose of corn dogs and carnival rides are finding higher ticket prices, fewer exhibits and more expensive food.
Fairs also are hiring fewer inspectors for rides, raising vendor fees and aggressively pursuing deals with corporate sponsors.
Illinois, for instance, sold exclusive rights to Coca-Cola and has banished Pepsi from the fairgrounds. Vendors say Coca-Cola has raised prices from less than $42 for 5 gallons of fountain-soda syrup to $48, and customers are not happy about Pepsi’s absence.
“We want to give customers what they want, and we can’t,” said vendor Randy Williams. “When customers are upset, that bothers me because that’s just bad business.”
Many state fairs have increased admission this year. New York and Oklahoma, for instance, both raised prices by $2 — to $10 and $7, respectively.
Cutbacks affecting other state fairs include:
• Eliminating prize money in Nebraska.
• Taking $1.6 million in sales taxes away from the Minnesota fair over the next two years.
• Cutting exhibits by six state agencies, such as the Education Department and the Historical Society, in Kentucky.
• Blocking the California fair from filling 11 vacancies in its staff of 100.
“It’s happening pretty much across the board, across the country,” said Jim Tucker, president of the International Association of Fairs and Expositions.
Some fairs get money directly from state government. With many states trying to erase budget deficits, the fairs become targets for cuts. That means making do with over-the-hill musical acts, less advertising and fewer cleaning crews sweeping the streets.
Fair attendance for the first four days of this year’s Illinois State Fair was 347,250. At the same time last year, under a less strict method of estimating, the figure was 622,000.
“Often cutting budgets in the events world is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you reduce the elements that attract people to your event, then you cause a decline in attendance,” said Stephen Chambers, executive director of the Western Fairs Association.
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