Not much down time after the 2023 fair ends, because ‘a great event for the public’ takes a year to organize

Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com

It is September, 2023, but for those who work for the Clark County Fair, it is already 2024.

Almost as soon as one fair ends, planning for the next one begins.

And, of course, there is some time for reflection.

John Morrison, the fair manager/CEO, said he loved a lot of what he saw at the 2023 Clark County Fair, and he is encouraged about the fair’s future.

There is always room for improvement. Every year has its learning moments.

“Bottom line is I think we put on a great event for the public,” Morrison said. “I think it met the goals that we set for ourselves, in terms of the breadth and width of the offerings out there, the value.”

The fair did not break its attendance record set last year, but was in line with 2023 numbers in several other categories.

“The numbers people will say, ‘Did you have more people? Did you make more money? Were there more exhibits?’ Other ways to look at it: Was it successful in terms of it was a great 10-day event. Weather was nice, and it was safe. We didn’t have any injuries. We didn’t have incidents.

“By every measurable standard, for me, it was a successful fair.”

As manager and CEO, he acknowledges that he is more of a numbers guy. He noted that he was not sure if the 2022 numbers were just because of what he called the post-Covid bump. With no fairs in 2020 and 2021, folks were excited to return to the fairgrounds in 2022.

Morrison said he looks at gate, food, and carnival, the biggest money factors.

“Food in 2023 exceeded ‘22. The carnival, if it hadn’t been for the final Sunday of 101 degrees, would have come close. And the gate was roughly the same,” Morrison said.

The fair attracted more than 257,000 visitors this year.

That post-Covid bump, he said, just might be the new normal. The population of Clark County has grown through the years, but the popularity of the fair also comes from organizers looking for new attractions, new exhibits. Plus marketing.

“We did spend a lot of time saying, ‘What can we do to make this fair more relevant, keep it as fresh as we can?’” Morrison said.

The fair spent more money than in the past on concerts to attract a variety of music lovers. The concerts, held on the first four days of the fair, have 7,500 free seats in the grandstands, plus 1,500 reserved seats that are available for purchase.

Blue Oyster Cult sold out the reserved seats, plus had a full grandstand at its performance.George Thorogood and The Destroyers came really close to selling out those reserved seats.

The feature area this year had the Wizard’s Challenge and inflatable toys. That area resulted in a lot of positive feedback to fair organizers. Morrison also noted that Curly the Camel, who hadn’t been to the fair in years, was a big draw.

“I need something every year that people hadn’t seen the year before and probably won’t see unless they come to the fair,” Morrison said.

One event that did not return to the fair this year was the pancake breakfast on opening day. A few people did not get the word that there was no breakfast and showed up hours before the fair officially opened on that first day. Morrison said the staff at the fair will try to do a better job of messaging. 

If the pancake breakfast, a popular event, ever does return, it likely won’t be until 2025 or beyond. The logistics of it all, including the number of volunteers, makes it difficult to “reconstitute,” Morrison said.

Never say never, but for now, the pancake breakfast is not in any future plans.

Sure, some were confused and showed up for the breakfast, but for the most part, it was not a big topic of discussion.

“I was surprised at the low number of phone calls, emails, texts, saying ‘Whatever happened to the pancake breakfast? I think you guys made a mistake.’ It didn’t create a negative environment,” Morrison said.

As far as negative feedback, Morrison said it is usually the same every year: “Parking is a disaster,” he said.

“It fills up so quickly. It’s not an inefficiency of what we’re doing as it is a lack of the product,” Morrison said. “It is the limiting factor of this fair.”

He noted that the lot needs to turn over two-and-a-half and sometimes three times a day in order to serve those who insist on driving to and from the fair. 

There are C-TRAN shuttles that serve destinations throughout Clark County, but those numbers are flat, Morrison said. He is open to the idea of trying to sweeten the pot, maybe reducing the cost of the fair even more for those who take the shuttle, especially on the weekends. 

Even if that happens, he knows most people still will drive to the fair. And that means trying to find space to park.

In what could be considered a good problem to have, there was too much demand for the Tuff Trucks 7 p.m. show on the final Saturday of the 2023 fair. The main grandstands reached capacity and there were so many people in the standing room only section that security had to stop more from entering the area.

Unfortunately, it also meant that people who already had seats inside the arena could not return if they went to get food, for example.

Morrison said they will be looking at ways to improve those situations next year. Maybe a stamp on the hand, to show security that the person already has a spot inside the gates.

Morrison did hear from some who complained that they only came to the fair for the show, and then they weren’t allowed into the arena. Fair organizers have always advised folks to get to the arena early. After all, seating is general admission, first-come, first-serve.

There are no refunds on fair tickets just because a fairgoer does not get to see a show.

“My philosophy: You pay to come to the fair. When you come, if you want to eat it or ride it, it will cost you something. Everything else is free. Your ticket gets you in the grounds. Everything is free from that point unless you want to eat it or ride it,” Morrison said.

Yes, he heard from some who wanted a refund because they could not see the Tuff Trucks.

“I don’t have any of your money for the Tuff Trucks,” Morrison said. “It’s free. There is a complete menu of things you can go and do and enjoy here.”

Morison and his staff are proud of their work providing a lot of entertainment for the price of admission.

In fact, he likes to look at movie prices to compare. There are some families who say they would like to come to the fair but it is too expensive. Morrison counters: Go to a movie, buy popcorn and drinks for four. Then spend two hours “shushing” your children. And be home 30 minutes later.

Or attend the fair. 

“Out here, you’ve spent the entire day enjoying each other and seeing new things,” Morrison said. “Two hours after you go to a movie, guess where you are? You’re back home. And everybody spent about the same amount of money and nobody talked to anybody the entire time. 

“Out here, you had a great family day.”

Morrison said the Clark County Fair comes out way on top in that scenario.

And that fair is already looking forward to hosting Clark County again in 2024.