Fair Makes a Tough Decision on Premiums

At the May Gratiot County Fair for Youth Board of Directors meeting, the Board eliminated premiums to all Danish style (A-B-C) premiums at the 2009 fair.  This decision was prompted due to the unexpected and sudden elimination of premiums allocated from the State of Michigan through Governor Granholm’s Executive Order 2009-22 enacted Tuesday, May 5.  The Executive Order was part of a $350,000,000 cut in this year’s state budget.

Our fair budgeted and expected to receive over $11,800 from the state to cover premiums for this coming fair.  To keep our budget in balance, the Board determined eliminating Danish premiums was the only responsible course of action to take.  “I find this extremely frustrating.” states Brian Gardner, Fair Coordinator.  “We are expected to budget our expenses.  We have this budgeted revenue which quickly disappeared without the opportunity to thoughtfully plan for the cut.”

There are several classes in the fair book which have a placing premium.  Darcy Martyn, fair president, created a committee to thoughtfully review the placing premiums outlined in our fair book.

“We want to make sure exhibitors understand this will not affect their sale checks,” said Gardner.  “Most exhibitors receive less than $15 in fair premiums.”  The sale checks come from a buyer purchasing an animal or still exhibit from an exhibitor.  Ninety-six percent of the revenue earned by the fair’s youth exhibitors comes from sale checks.

This action will modify premiums as outlined in the 2009 Fair Book.  As soon as the fair determines its revised award and premium schedule, it will post it on its website (www.gcffy.org).  A complete listing will also be printed in the June issue of the Clover Coverage.

The fair will have two major fair clean-up days for 2009.  Please plan to come.  The fair will have lists of items to be completed before each clean-up posted on the grounds and on-line. 

The first day will be Sunday, May 17.  The day will begin at 1:00 p.m. and will run until the day’s projects are completed.  This clean-up will help us get ready for the upcoming fair, will ensure our fair is ready for a busy rental season, and will ensure our grounds and flowerbeds are beautiful by the Alma Highland Festival.

Our second clean-up day will be Wednesday, July 22 and will run from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.  At this day, we will need to get everything set-up and ready for the fair.  We will also have our buildings open for club set-up starting at 7:30 p.m. on clean-up day.

On the Sunday, August 9, the day we check out of fair, we need to put everything away from the fair.  After you have cleaned up your project and exhibit areas, please help by taking care of all of the items set up at the fair.  If we have lots of help, we can get everything neatly put away awaiting 2010.

Happy Spring!!!  There are many changes to this year’s Court Contest.  And yes I said Court and not Queen’s Court.  The biggest change will be the addition of a King and Prince and their court’s.  The Senior Court will consist of a King, and his runner-up, and a Queen, and her runner-up.  The Junior Court will consist of a Prince, a runner-up, and a court member, and a Princess, her runner-up, and a court member.  Another addition is that this year Court Contest participants will be competing not only for the right to represent the fair, but to also receive scholarships.  The deadline for the application is June 15 and interviews are scheduled for July 15.

The Gratiot County Fair for Youth has made several improvements to the fairgrounds and has several more planned before the end of its fiscal year.  New sliding doors have been installed on the exhibit barns, merchant barn, and the feeder barn.  The feeder barn also had new sliding door windows installed.  The John Siefka Memorial Building has a new shingled porch roof.

The fair is also making  improvements to the cafeteria building.  Recently several items were purchased from the Ember’s Restaurant dispersal sale including tables and chairs, commercial refrigerators and freezers and storage racks.  The building is scheduled to have steel siding, windows, and ventilation fans installed.  These new improvements are in the fair’s long range plan to have the building usable as a viable meeting space for the fair, clubs, and other organizations.
The covered arena has two working lighting systems installed and will have the Laurie Smith Memorial Announcer’s Booth completed.  The Smith Announcer’s Booth will have wiring for the sound system and new cupboards for supplies.

The fair is also actively working on replacing the existing fair office building.  The long range vision is to have a building which can be utilized throughout the year and will provide a more usable working place for summer activities.  The building plans call for a reception area, two offices, a conference room, and additional rest room facilities.  This project is projected to start shortly after the fair.

The Gratiot County Horse Developmental Committee is also working on a project to improve ten of the box stalls in the large horse barn.  The horse barns are heavily utilized during the summer with the fair and rentals.  

Fair Photographer
The fair is looking for a new photographer(s) to take sale photographs of all of our sale animals.  Interested photographers must be organized and be able to quickly turn around finished prints.  Interested photographers should contact the fair office by May 14 for more details and information and may be asked to provide a portfolio of their work and references.

Fair Bathroom Attendants
The fair is seeking motivated individuals interested in being contracted to clean the fair’s rest room facilities during the week of fair.  The hired individuals will be responsible for cleaning the restrooms once on the Friday before fair, the Sunday after fair and four times daily from Saturday, August 1 – Saturday, August 8.  The fair will supply all cleaning supplies and paper products.  Interested parties should contact the fair office by May 14.

Seeking On-Call Custodian
The fair is interested in hiring an on-call temporary grounds custodian(s) to help clean fair grounds and stalls before and after some rental events and cleaning the grounds during fair week.  For more information, contact the fair office.

Capital Project and Expenditure Policy Adopted

The Gratiot County Fair for Youth Board of Directors adopted a new policy at their January 2009 meeting.  The Capital Project and Expenditure Policy outlines the process capital projects must go through before being approved for funding by the fair.

The policy was created to help the board control construction and building projects happening at our facility and to ensure proper funding of capital projects.  To receive a copy of the approved policy, contact the fair office at (989) 875-5292 or info@gcffy.org.

Camping registration packets were sent to last year’s fair campers.  The deadline for returning paperwork and payment to the fair will be in mid January.  Unregistered campsites will be allocated to families who have put their name on the fair’s camping waiting list.  The waiting list was started last year and has several names on it.  If you are interested in camping, please contact the fair office at (989) 875-5292 to have your name put on the waiting list.

The fair will be unable to provide primitive camping in 2009.  Campers who have previously camped on primitive lots will remain on the master waiting list unitl regular camp sites become available.

At the annual meeting of the Gratiot County Fair for Youth held on Thursday, November 6, 2008, the board presented its annual report to the community. Becky Hirschman, the outgoing board president, reported "Our mission continues to be accomplished because the fair continues to be supported by youth and their families, volunteers, donors, and the community."

Hirschman reported GCFFY had the support of 181 donors, 299 buyers, and the fair became a 501(c)(3) public charity during the 2007-08 fiscal year. "I am proud to be a part of a community that continues to show such great support to the fair and our youth" Hirschman stated. "It is because of your support that GCFFY continues to thrive while other fairs in Michigan are finding it harder and harder to make ends meet". For more information about the fair, contact the fair office.