Faced with public health concerns and border closures, the Southeast Alaska State Fair board voted Tuesday to cancel the Great Alaska Craft Beer and Home Brew Festival.
The organization has also decided to postpone the Fishermen’s BBQ. For the past few years, the barbeque has taken place at the same time as the Kluane Chilkat international bike relay, another event that has been cancelled this year.
The barbeque will be moved to the fall, board president Deborah Marshall said. Without the bike race, turnout will be lower, closer to 800 than 2,500. The upside is that it will be a more community-centered event.
While the barbeque is a valuable community event, it is not a huge moneymaker for the organization and is relatively easy to postpone, executive director Kari Johnson said. The toughest decisions for the board in recent weeks have been determining the fate of this year’s beer fest and the Southeast Alaska State Fair.
“We had been postponing in making a final decision because we know beer fest is a huge economic driver for the community and for us,” Johnson said. “We didn’t want to make a big decision with everything being so fluid.” The Canadian border closure is what ultimately tipped the scale. She said 64% of the event’s tickets were held by Canadians and a number of brewers were counting on driving to the event.
Beer fest, which is entering its 27th year, is an important event for Haines, Marshall said. It’s one of the busiest weekends in town for local business owners, driven by independent travelers rather than the cruise ship industry.
There was talk of postponing Beer Fest, but this idea was not financially viable, Johnson said. The decision to cancel will allow participants and attendees to adjust their plans accordingly.
Marshall said the organization is working to refund people’s tickets and giving them the option to donate the cost of their tickets to the organization. Like many nonprofits, cash flow will be an issue this year, she said.
While the event will not take place this year, “May of 2021 we will be right back at it. We won’t have forgotten how to put it on,” Marshall said.
The organization has not made a final decision about the Southeast Alaska State Fair, scheduled to take place July 30 through Aug. 2. At the present, the event is mostly planned, Johnson said. Deposits have been put down for musical groups and agreements reached with food vendors. The only uncertainty is whether or not the event will actually happen.
Johnson said the organization is assessing its financial situation and reaching out to others in the fair industry to assess alternative options.
The loss of the fair would be a loss felt throughout the community, Marshall said. “It is a huge part of the community’s identity besides being a huge economic driver.” However, the health of the community comes first.
Between federal assistance to cover payroll costs and the organization’s savings, they will be able to make it through to the next year, even if the bulk of their events are cancelled, Marshall said.
Marshall said the board hopes to reach a final decision about the fair in early May. Community members are welcome to share their perspective via email, she said, directing people to the Southeast Alaska State Fair website for more information.
The organization’s membership drive is still scheduled to take place on April 24, although the event will now be a virtual one.