The Manheim Community Farm Show might have to one day charge an entry fee or shut down.

The Ephrata Fair, the largest street fair in the state, lost $30,000 last year.

The New Holland Farmer's Fair Association bought a $195,000 building and can't afford big losses.

Organizers of the county's seven annual late-summer or early-fall fairs say they are worried and frustrated about possible drastic cuts in their state funding. The fairs will go on the next few years, but the long-term futures of some of them may be in jeopardy.

Now 12 days before the July 1 state budget deadline, organizers are slashing costs, seeking new funding sources, and hoping cuts don't turn out as bad as they fear.

For children squealing on amusement rides, the teenager showing a prize pig or the 92-year-old entering her beloved flowers each year, a piece of Americana is threatened.

"I'd like to say the Ephrata Fair is going to continue but we have to be realistic, too," said the fair's president, Elaine Sensenig. "Come October, we'll be in a much better position to see if the fair can continue."

Pennsylvania's Fair Advisory Board helps the state's 116 county and community fairs pay operating costs and for projects to improve fairs.

The board also has paid for about half of the prize money awarded to the fairs' top baked goods, vegetables, hay samples and other competitive entries.

In 2007-08, it handed out $4 million, and last year $3.6 million.

Gov. Ed Rendell has called for cutting that nearly in half to $2 million.

The Senate proposed eliminating the fair funds, but the House voted down that plan Monday.

"There are still ideas out there about not funding the program," warned Chris Ryder of the state Department of Agriculture. "Fair funding is up in the air right now as with everything in the budget."

Some fair organizers say drastic cuts could deal a serious blow.

"The whole thing is so frustrating to me," said Marlin Becker, president of the Manheim Farm Show. "The farm show brings the community together."

Last year, the state pledged to give $14,625 to help with a $60,000 project to build a 90- by 56-foot livestock barn at the Manheim fairgrounds.

It has been built, but the fair only got about half of what the state said it would give, Becker said.

It would hurt more if the farm show would not get $28,000 in state funds for operating costs and premium payouts.

Becker is putting a disclaimer in the fair book saying if funds are cut, premiums also will be cut. That could lead to fewer entries in the future.

"The whole agriculture end of it is going to suffer ... what ag means to the county and state, and we're getting a slap in the face," he said. "It might come to (shutting the fair down) or charging an entry fee for everything."

Elaine Sensenig said the Ephrata Fair gets about $27,000 in state funding each year.

In her first year as president of the fair, she said organizers knew they might get less money this year but the possibility of no state funds caught them off guard.

"We're trying to cut costs without cutting fair activities," she said. "We are tightening up everything."

This year, there will be five tents in tent city — one less than last year — to save a few thousand dollars, she said. Some exhibits, such as grains, FFA displays and a scarecrow contest, will be moved into the commercial/food tent.

There will be no Best in Show cash prizes in the fair's 23 competitive departments, she said — a savings of a couple thousand dollars.

Fourth-place finishers will no longer get prize money, which will save a few hundred dollars.

Previous bake sale dollars that benefited an outside organization now will go back to the fair. Also, replacing display equipment has been delayed.

The fair did not raise vendor prices but has in recent years, Sensenig said.

Ephrata Fair organizers are trying to get more local funding sources.

Last year showed the turbulence in fair profits. Rainy days and fewer sales of fair ride tickets triggered an overall loss of about $30,000, Sensenig said.

Organizers have considered becoming a gated fair with an admission fee, but since the fair is along streets in Ephrata, that likely would not work, she said.

Costs have gone up while revenue has faltered, she said. Looming this year is an expected increase in electricity costs.

Sensenig said the fair has some money in reserve.

"If we continue to come close to a break-even point, the fair would survive at least three years, but we hope not to use all our reserves," she said.

The Solanco Fair did not get $16,250 pledged last year by the state for a new livestock building on the fairgrounds and now may have to borrow some money to complete the $80,000 project.

But Rick Rankin, president of the Solanco Fair Association, said it is in good shape due to tremendous help from various local supporters and rental income from its facilities.

Warren Peachey, president of the New Holland Farmer's Fair, said getting no state funds "really could hurt us."

"We can't afford to lose a lot of money." The fair association recently borrowed money to buy a $195,000 building.

Often, the state subsidy typically received in January is needed to pull the fair out of the red, Peachey said.

Ryder detailed the $3.6 million in state fair fund payments last year:

Nearly $2.9 million went for fair operating costs and premium reimbursements.

County 4-H and FFA groups got $315,000, statewide agricultural organizations $90,000 and another $320,000 went to capitol improvement matching grants.

This year, the fairs already have been informed that capital improvement funding will not be available, so if there is state funding for fairs it will be used for agricultural youth programs, operating and premiums only, Ryder said.


Staff writer Ryan Robinson can be reached at rrobinson@LNPnews.com or 481-6032.