Metropolitan King County Council 516 Third Ave., Rm. 1200 Seattle, WA 98104 Phone: 206-296-1000 Toll Free: 800-325-6165 TTY/TDD: 206-296-1024 Fax: 206-296-0198 council@kingcounty.gov
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Nov. 24, 2008 Come to the fair: Council restores King County Fair for 2009, looks toward futureMembers adopt motion calling for task force to study Fair’s long-term financial sustainabilityThe oldest county fair west of the Mississippi will continue with today’s adoption of the 2009 King County Budget that includes funds to keep the King County Fair operating for another year.
The fair’s $318,000 subsidy from county taxpayers was cut from the Executive’s budget proposal, as a result of declining attendance and a projected $93 million deficit in the County general fund. Councilmembers’ offices were flooded with calls, e-mails and letters from residents advocating funding be restored for the 145-year-old fair. After weeks of public testimony, including a Town Hall Meeting hosted by Councilmembers Reagan Dunn and Pete von Reichbauer, it was clear the fair had substantial community support.
“The fair should never have been cancelled,” said Councilmember Dunn, prime sponsor of a motion calling for a task force to study the fair’s long-term sustainability. “It represents our heritage and our future. This event first started during the Civil War. The 4-H kids who show their animals at the fair every year learn valuable lessons that serve them and us well for the rest of their lives. I’m pleased that the Council agreed with me that it had to be saved.”
“The historic King County Fair is vital to the quality of life of thousands of citizens—particularly in rural King County—so we made it a priority to restore the fair’s funding,” said Councilmember Larry Phillips, chair of the 2009 Budget Review and Adoption Committee. “We heard this message over and over from citizens at our public hearings, so with funding for 2009 and a task force in place to seek out long-term funding strategies, I hope the King County Fair will remain a part of our agricultural heritage for future generations to discover and enjoy.”
“The continuation of the King County Fair is one of the greatest accomplishments of this budget,” said Councilmember von Reichbauer. “The hundreds of 4-H members and other fair advocates who made their voices heard at our Town Hall meeting in Enumclaw are the real saviors of this treasured cultural event. We must now partner to find a long-term solution so that the fair can be enjoyed by generations to come.”
The King County Fair is a traditional celebration of King County's agricultural heritage and has been a regional draw for organizations such as 4-H, the Future Farmers of America and the equestrian community. However, attendance and revenue for the event at the Enumclaw Expo Center has declined over the last decade.
In light of that declining attendance, the Council today also passed a motion to create an 11-member panel to analyze current fair operations and explore ways to attract the exhibits, programs and entertainment that would increase attendance and revenue at the fair. The members of the panel will consist of one representative each from:
• King County 4-H,
• Washington FFA.
• Washington State University Extension,
• Washington State 4-H,
• the Washington State Fair Association, and
• one at-large representative to be selected by the Fair task force.
The motion calls on the Executive to use the recommendations presented by the task force to develop a recovery plan for the fair, and to present the plan to the Council by August 1, 2009.
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