In this article, I would like to address concerns about the entertainment at the Green County Fair. The fair board is made up of nine people. It is their responsibility to oversee the operation of the fair.
Grandstand shows are very important to the fair. We have to maintain a balance between providing quality shows that will bring people through the gates, and having enough people come to pay for the entertainment. Quality entertainment doesn't come cheap. Wednesday's rodeo cost $23,000; Thursday's tractor pull, $12,000; Friday's show by Little Texas, $12,500; and Saturday's Lorrie Morgan show, $21,000. Plus, we pay $12,500 for the sound people for the fair.
In the fall, we meet with a representative from Variety attractions. He tells us who is hot and who is not, who might be up and coming, and who is not touring. You then pick three choices of acts that are in your price range, in order of preference. Then, if their availability and travel schedules are compatible with their other commitments, we then sign contracts.
Some people say we should lower our gate prices and charge $10 to get in the grandstand. We used to do that. The grandstand holds about 1,700 people. At $10 each, that's $17,000. If you go up in price range for more popular entertainers, are you going to fill the grandstand? At today's prices, $20 for a season pass, you get to see $68,000 worth of entertainment for $5 per show. I would say that's a pretty good bang for your buck. There has been some discussion about going back to charging for the grandstand, but we will wait and see how our costs go.
Several of our neighboring fairs have been having a talent show for one of their grandstand shows. With the popularity of "American Idol" and "America's Got Talent," we are considering doing this, also. The preliminaries could be in the spring, semifinals later, and the finals on Friday night at the fair. This would expose a lot of local talent. It also would require a lot of community involvement. That's what a fair is about - people working together, helping the youth of Green County expand their horizons and having fun. If you would be interested in helping, please call the fair office, either Susan Konopacki or myself.
Grandstand shows are very important to the fair. We have to maintain a balance between providing quality shows that will bring people through the gates, and having enough people come to pay for the entertainment. Quality entertainment doesn't come cheap. Wednesday's rodeo cost $23,000; Thursday's tractor pull, $12,000; Friday's show by Little Texas, $12,500; and Saturday's Lorrie Morgan show, $21,000. Plus, we pay $12,500 for the sound people for the fair.
In the fall, we meet with a representative from Variety attractions. He tells us who is hot and who is not, who might be up and coming, and who is not touring. You then pick three choices of acts that are in your price range, in order of preference. Then, if their availability and travel schedules are compatible with their other commitments, we then sign contracts.
Some people say we should lower our gate prices and charge $10 to get in the grandstand. We used to do that. The grandstand holds about 1,700 people. At $10 each, that's $17,000. If you go up in price range for more popular entertainers, are you going to fill the grandstand? At today's prices, $20 for a season pass, you get to see $68,000 worth of entertainment for $5 per show. I would say that's a pretty good bang for your buck. There has been some discussion about going back to charging for the grandstand, but we will wait and see how our costs go.
Several of our neighboring fairs have been having a talent show for one of their grandstand shows. With the popularity of "American Idol" and "America's Got Talent," we are considering doing this, also. The preliminaries could be in the spring, semifinals later, and the finals on Friday night at the fair. This would expose a lot of local talent. It also would require a lot of community involvement. That's what a fair is about - people working together, helping the youth of Green County expand their horizons and having fun. If you would be interested in helping, please call the fair office, either Susan Konopacki or myself.
