Part of the estimated $7 million to $7.5 million economic impact of the Arkansas-Oklahoma State Fair[1] includes the sale during the fair of at least 75,000 corn dogs – or more than 8,300 each day of the nine-day event.
The fair, located at Kay Rodgers Park at 4400 Midland Blvd., in Fort Smith, begins Friday (Sept. 19) and wraps up on Sept. 27. (Link here[2] for the daily schedule and list of events and attractions.)
Kelly Clark, the volunteer chairman of the fair, said the group estimates between 135,000 and 150,000 people will attend the fair, and he estimated the annual benefit to the metro economy at between $7 million and $7.5 million.
“That is just an estimate, but I also did some queries with other fairs about our size and that’s in the range of what they are reporting,” said Clark, who has been fair chairman for 10 years. “I’d say the areas that really benefit are the hotels, gas stations, the retail, and the restaurants. It’s a big event for Fort Smith. I’m not sure of any event that’s larger. It’s a nine-day deal, and it brings in thousands through here every day.”
Part of the impact comes from the 70-80 fair vendors each year, Clark said, with many of the vendors buying supplies – especially the food vendors – in the area.
“The majority of our vendors, I would say buy local, especially buys food here in the area because of the perishability of the products. … Those food vendors run through a lot of volume,” Clark said, adding that the corn dog vendor told him they sell at least 75,000 corn dogs during the fair.
The fair also brings in livestock exhibitors from a wide region. Clark said this year there are 1,653 livestock exhibits, with most of those being school students. Also, there are 1,350 Future Farmers of America (FFA) students from more than 100 schools coming in on Sept. 24 to participate in judging contests. The schools are from 32 counties in Arkansas and Oklahoma, Clark said.
“That’s a lot, and that’s kind of why we’re here to help these kids (who have show animals), and to provide that (contest opportunity) for those (FFA) students,” Clark said.
The fair is sponsored by the Arkansas-Oklahoma Regional Education and Promotion Association. The association also sponsors the annual Old Fort Days Rodeo[3].
NATIONAL FAIR IMPACT
The International Association of Fairs and Expositions[4] (IAFE) recently posted an economic impact study of U.S. fairs and fairgrounds that indicates almost 400,000 jobs nationwide are supported by fairs and events at fairgrounds. Information for the study[5] was gathered from the data of nearly 1,400 fairgrounds.
“This comprehensive study provides valuable insight into the economic and fiscal contributions in the host communities of fairs and fairgrounds, showcasing significant numbers across various facets, including visitors, revenues, wages, employment, and more,” the IAFE noted in a press release.
Following are study results for fairs and fairgrounds in the South.
• 36.2 million visitors
• $10.1 billion in economic impact
• 721,170 hotel room nights generated
• 79,500 ongoing jobs sustained
• $3.4 billion wages created
• $259.1 million state fiscal impact from sales and hotel tax revenues
Following are the nationwide study results.
• 219.8 million visitors – 64.8% of the population attended a fair or fairgrounds
• $51.9 billion in economic impact
• 2.8 million hotel room nights generated
• 393,000 ongoing jobs sustained
• $17.6 billion wages created
• $1.3 billion state fiscal impact from sales and hotel tax revenues
Related
References
- ^ Arkansas-Oklahoma State Fair (www.arkansasoklahomafair.com)
- ^ Link here (arkansasoklahomafair.com)
- ^ Old Fort Days Rodeo (www.oldfortdaysrodeo.com)
- ^ International Association of Fairs and Expositions (fairsandexpos.com)
- ^ the study (fairsandexpos.com)