Last Saturday I took Peanut and one of her friends to the opening day of the Howard County Fair. A good time was had by all.Later that evening I tallied up the cost of our day in West Friendship.
Admission (3): $15.00
Ride Bracelets (2): $36.00
Carnie games: $22.00
Food & Beverage: $15.00
Total: $88.00
This led me to wonder how the current recession might affect the fair. For many families, an expenditure of a hundred bucks for a day at the fair right now could be prohibitive.
In this report last month by Ana Bloom, Alex Johnson and Afsin Yurdakul on MSNBC, the reporters found that “many fairs and festivals around the country say they’re doing booming business this summer as families pass up expensive out-of-town trips in favor of cheaper ways to have fun.”
With four more days to go, it will be interesting to see if this holds true for our county fair.
3 comments:
But what about the food? I haven't been able to get out there.
A good source told me that HC Fair attendance was strong this year, and I was surprised to hear that. This is despite the poor economy and the excessive heat earlier in the week.
We were there on Saturday as well, and great fun was had by all in our family, and we likely would do it again next year. Glad to hear attendance is considered "strong" per Anonymous, as we had expected it to be more crowded than what we experienced.
Our total expense for two adults and two kids was closer to $100 as our food costs were higher. Per your comment TOTC, my wife and I did feel that the cost to fun ratio was a bit high for many families in our area, particularly in this economy.
And HowChow, the food we experienced was decent (if a bit expensive) for a county fair. We both enjoyed a nice grilled chicken pita that tasted more fresh than processed.
Thank you for keeping the local conversation flowing!
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