From the Officers of The Washington County Ag Expo and Fair Board of Directors
We feel the need to speak directly to the 4-H members, leaders, families, 4-H
volunteers and supporters, addressing many of the rumors in reference to our upcoming
Ag Expo and Fair. The best way to start is to define the word, “rumor.” According to the
great web search engine, “Google,” the word rumor is defined as: A current
circulation story or report of uncertain or doubtful truth. Our goal is to clearly state
the facts about the upcoming Washington County Ag Expo and Fair.
For those of you that do not know how the Board of Directors is selected:
Each board member is elected at the annual membership banquet held in October.
Currently, the membership dues are $5 paid annually. As always, we encourage
attendance and most importantly, welcome any and all new dues paying members to
join. At this business meeting, we give the membership a full financial report. We also
elect 5 new members of the board, each serving a 3 year term. The board consists of
15 members. This board is entrusted, by the membership, to effectively organize,
operate and coordinate the annual Washington County Ag Expo and Fair. For those that
have attended this business meeting for the last two years, it has been well documented
to the membership, that the Washington County Ag Expo and Fair has been historically
losing money.
We, like any other business, cannot continually operate at a loss and expect to remain
in business! With that being said, changes have to be made! Our focus and goal is to
support the 4-H youth program. We also strive to educate the public and our community
on the importance of agriculture in their daily lives.
The schedule of costs and passes are as follows:
Daily gate admission: $6/per person/per day; ages 2 and over
Weekly pass-main gate admission: $35
Weekly pass-main gate and track events admission: $80
Activities included in general admission pricing: daily livestock shows, Thank A Farmer
performances 3-4 times per day, hands on petting farm, free craft activities at the
petting farm, live bands each day, machinery and equipment displays, business
displays, 4-H and Open Class displays, all day carnival rides and more!
The board is excited to announce a new schedule of track events! These include:
Triple R Rodeo ($10 admission)
Diesel Day Diesel Fest ($15 flat rate admission includes gate admission/one price day!)
Don Schwartz Tractor Pull (no charge)
Washington County Tractor Pull ($10 admission)
Monster Truck Show and Pit Party ($10 admission)
Demolition Derby ($10 admission)
Lawn Mower Racing ($10 admission)
With the increased excitement level of the track events, including Diesel Days Power
Fest and the Monster Truck Show and Pit Party events, the weekly gate/track event
pass is a great value. The word has spread up and down the east coast for the Diesel
Fest! The Ag Expo Board is thrilled to be hosting this premier event!
To recognize the hard work and dedication of our 4-H youth and their families, the 4-H
youth will be able to purchase their admission wrist band that includes admission to
each and every activity and event at the fair for $21. They may also purchase two
additional passes, at the same price, for family members.
The need for this increase is simple. We need increased revenue to pay the bills that
support this event. The Washington County Ag Expo and Fair, grows each year. It
grows by increased animal entries; it grows with increased home arts entries. We are
thrilled to say we are suffering from “growing pains” over the last several years. With
these increases, comes increase in premiums paid, increased rental fees for tents, etc.
The sponsorship committee met their goals of doubling their sponsorship revenue for
2012. We sold over 45 commercial vendor spaces, a significant increase over previous
years.
Another of many rumors is that the board pays S and S Amusements for hosting the
carnival midway. This speculation is absolutely not true. S and S Amusements is the
most respected carnival provider on the east coast. Of all of the fairs they have
experienced, in over 65 years, Washington County Ag Expo and Fair has become one
of their favorite venues solely because of the beautiful location of the Washington
County Ag Expo and Fair. The fair board has spent months negotiating a contract that
we believe is a good opportunity and value. The carnival will provide 8 full days of
amusements, with longer running operating hours each day. Check the daily schedule
for the carnival’s hours of operation. The fair board listened to your feedback! There will
also be more variety of amusements for all ages. The carnival has opened our gates to
a new target market of families and children, not only from our community, but from the
tri state area. They enjoy the thrills and excitement of the amusement rides! The
Washington County Ag Expo and Fair needs to be able to reach out and provide
entertainment as well as learning opportunities for all ages of kids and adults alike!
Another speculation is that different species of animals will be housed in different
locations for the upcoming year. Once again, at this time, this is also just a rumor.
Despite what many families will tell you, all barn assignments can be changed based on
animal numbers and spacing available for each species. We are simply not going to
over crowd one species of animals, if another barn is obviously not being fully utilized.
This is evaluated each year, based on the number of animals, their housing
requirements, and the safety of the animal housing. The Washington County Ag Expo
and Fair Board, rents the facility each year as well as the various tents that are needed.
Rental of the facility for 2013 is $3600. Tent rental for this year is estimated to exceed
$5000. It is imperative, that we make the best use of the large barns provided on the
grounds. We will in no way, sacrifice the safety of the animal exhibits when making
these decisions. Final decisions will be made after all 4-H weigh-ins are completed and
project sign-ups are calculated.
Yet another speculation is that the Washington County Ag Expo and Fair will not be
paying out premium money to exhibitors. The 4-H kids, in 4-H classes will continue to
receive premiums, on the same scale, as they have in previous years. The 4-H kids
earn and deserve their premiums. The Washington County Ag Expo and Fair Board
receive state funding to help pay the premiums. It is the Ag Expo and Fair Board’s
responsibility to see that there is enough money in their operating funds to pay the
entire amount of premiums for the calendar year. In 2012, The Washington County Ag
Expo and Fair Board paid out over $24,000 in premium money. The MD state funding
supplemented only a partial payment of that amount. The Ag Expo and Fair Board runs
a risk, each year, of having their grant money cut, right up to the day we open our gates
to the community for this event.
Open class entries, will have increased entry fees, based on the species. Starting this
year, monetary premium awards will be received in places 1 thru 3. 4th places and
below will receive ribbon awards.
The goal of this letter is to inform the 4-H’ers and their families of the changes and
updates that have been discussed, debated, evaluated and voted upon, by The
Washington County Ag Expo and Fair Board. We hope this information is useful for
each of you, as you make your individual project and family plans for supporting this
annual event. The Washington County Ag Expo and Fair Board has spent countless
hours researching, discussing, organizing and planning the 2013 Washington County
Ag Expo and Fair, for our 4-H families, for Washington County and for our neighboring
states, on a very limited budget. We are excited and proud of what we have
accomplished. We, the board of directors, thank each and every one of you, the 4-H’ers,
the families, and the volunteers, the businesses that have joined us in our recent
fundraising activities and look forward to your support in our future events.
We, as the officers of The Washington County Ag Expo and Fair Board, strive to make
ourselves available. As the officers of The Washington County Ag Expo and Fair Board,
we are honored to have been elected by our fellow board members to guide this great
organization. We are often asked, by each of you, what you can do, to help. We ask for
your support and trust that we have only the best interest of the 4-H’ers and the
continued success of The Washington County Ag Expo and Fair as our ultimate goal.
Feel free to contact any of the members of The Washington County Ag Expo and Fair
Board of Directors at any time. There is an email link on the web site:
www.AgExpoAndFair.org. Feel free to contact the President of the fair board:
Sue Hull
suebhull@aol.com
With sincere appreciation,
The Washington County Ag Expo and Fair Board of Directors
Sue Hull, President
Steve Leizear, Vice President
Megan Drake, Treasurer
Carolyn Etzler-Doyle, Secretary