Debbie Croft: The future of Mariposa County Fairgrounds – Part I

First in a series

When the fair comes to Mariposa County, it touches families, ranchers, businesses and the community as a whole. Students involved in 4-H raise animals and design handcrafted items. Merchants purchase livestock at the auction, generating income for the kids and encouraging the future of agricultural interest. Parents help organize events and cook pancakes at Saturday breakfasts to raise funds for the local 4-H club.

In addition, budding artists and artisans display their work. Visitors stay in our hotels and at our campgrounds, and dine in our restaurants. Commercial exhibitors and concessionaires offer merchandise including food and beverages, bringing in tens of thousands of dollars annually.

It’s great to see such community support on Labor Day weekend, but what about the rest of the year?

In 2003 then-Gov. Gray Davis released a report stating, “Overall impact on the county, of spending by all participants at fair-time and interim events resulted in $2,647,827, created 40 jobs and generated $816,698 in personal income for residents of Mariposa County.”

A decade later Mariposa’s fair generated approximately $2,851,000 in spending activity alone, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture Division of Fairs and Expositions.

Brian Bullis has been the chief executive officer of the Mariposa Fairgrounds since 2004. When hired, the fairgrounds board combined the two positions of CEO and maintenance supervisor to save money.

“At the time,” Bullis says, “the 78 California fairs were being funded from a tax on horse race wagering, with the fair industry being guaranteed approximately $32 million a year.”

As interest in horse race waging decreased – because of the California Lottery, Indian gaming, and tax-free Internet wagering on horse racing – funding available to our fairs dropped by almost half.

Bullis continues, “In 2008 legislation passed to fully fund fairgrounds … through the (state) general fund, which lasted two years.”

In 2011, state funding for 29 county fairgrounds was cut in an effort to relieve California’s budget deficit. Gov. Jerry Brown’s vision was for local communities to provide the necessary support. Mariposa County was on the list.

But his vision was never realized. Since then Mariposa County Fairgrounds has operated with a deficit close to $80,000 a year.

Total economic impacts from the fairgrounds have a ripple effect for many in the county. Personal income is generated by jobs held at the fairgrounds and/or during interim events, and local taxes spent on merchandise and services provide additional county revenue.

Many rural county fairgrounds host high school graduations, rodeos, holiday events, annual festivals, car shows and concerts, being the only place able to accommodate large crowds. These events also provide a regular influx of funds throughout the year.

Wildland fires aren’t welcome anywhere, but when a local emergency occurs, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the National Forest Service rent the fairgrounds as their base camp. Last summer there were no major fires in Mariposa County. We’re grateful, but it’s the fairgrounds’ loss. This revenue source isn’t one to be depended on.

Our goal is to become self-sufficient. If county residents want the fairgrounds to remain open for the future, we need to support it today.

Beverly Suggs and her family are multigenerational 4-H members. She’s on the board of the Mariposa Friends of the Fairgrounds Foundation.

“I was in 4-H, as were my daughter, son and grandson,” she says. “The fair allows the youth of Mariposa to show their animals and their talents, and to have fun.”

Suggs is involved with several local nonprofits, and sees the value of the fairgrounds year-round. Not only is the property used for fundraisers, it’s a gathering place for families and neighbors.

After the funding cut in 2011, Bullis announced to the community a desire to develop a nonprofit to preserve Mariposa’s Western heritage and promote agricultural education. Several residents stepped up to serve on the board and to volunteer with FOF.

In the current state budget, several million dollars have been allocated for infrastructure projects at fairgrounds throughout the state. The Mariposa Fairgrounds will receive some of these funds for two mandated projects:

▪ Replacement of steel doors and panic hardware ($79,062).

▪ Replacement of fire hydrant assemblies ($40,095).

Bullis says other maintenance and repairs are needed including asphalt sealing, but the fairgrounds has little money left in reserve. He and the board members meet monthly to discuss options, and are constantly looking for potential resources and new groups and events to bring to the area.

General meetings are open to the public. Go to www.mariposafof.com for more information.

This story was originally published April 7, 2016 at 4:12 PM with the headline "Debbie Croft: The future of Mariposa County Fairgrounds – Part I."