For the first time since its inception more than half a century ago, the Southeast Alaska State Fair has been cancelled.
On Friday, May 1, fair staff and board members announced that they were cancelling this year’s fair due to pandemic concerns.
“It’s been an ongoing conversation for a while as we’ve seen events cancelled across the country,” executive director Kari Johnson said. The 52nd annual fair had been scheduled to take place July 30 through Aug. 2. “We really knew we needed to make a decision. We didn’t want to leave uncertainty for our vendors and entertainment,” Johnson said.
It was a tough decision for the board because of the event’s social and economic value, but in the end, they voted unanimously to prioritize the health and safety of the community, Johnson said. Inviting a large number of people to Haines seemed like an unnecessary risk to take, she said.
It’s safe to assume the fair brings in roughly $1 million in revenue for local businesses and roughly $100,000 in sales tax revenue in any given year, Haines Economic Development Corporation executive director Margaret Friedenauer said. These figures are based on the results of two studies, one that estimates the fair has 5,000-6,000 attendees per year, including Haines residents, and another that estimates visitors spend, on average, $111 per day in Haines.
Haines Brewing Company co-owner Paul Wheeler said his business goes through a sixth of its yearly production during the fair’s four-day period. “Our cellar is completely full of kegged beer on Wednesday, and on Monday it’s empty.”
A number of local nonprofits including the Uglies and the Hospice of Haines raise money at the fair, Friedenauer said.
The fair also offers direct employment opportunities. In addition to the 41 vendors and 200 volunteers who put on the event, the Southeast Alaska State Fair organization has two full-time employees, one part-time employee and six seasonal workers who are brought on to help in the summer. At present, all of these employees have been laid off or the positions have been left unfilled, with the exception of a part-time maintenance worker and Johnson, whose hours have been reduced.
The social aspect of the fair is a significant part of its value to the community.
“Former Hainesites come from far and wide at fair time to get together with their families and friends,” resident Annette Smith said. “It’s so much fun to run into old friends who come for the fair, probably for the same reason—to see everyone. It’s a good time for class reunions also.”
Johnson said she remembers being one of these former Hainesites. “I grew up here. I left for a time. When I came to visit, it was always during the fair.”
Wheeler, who’s been to 37 fairs and served on the board for 18 years, said he still remembers his first fair, a bluebird day in 1982. He was living in Sitka at the time and credits the event as his motivation for moving. “It was the fair that brought me to Haines.”
Residents often find it hard to name a single favorite aspect of the event.
“Everything at the fair is the best. You can’t have a favorite,” said Friedenauer, who’s been attending since 2011 and had volunteered to help with baked good this year. She said she’d been looking forward to making the most of this year’s theme which was “Live free or pie hard.” In addition to having a pie contest, she had planned to compile old recipes from previous years into a cookbook.
Friedenauer described other traditional fair activities including the exhibit hall, displaying arts and crafts from around the region; the logging show, complete with an axe throwing competition; and the fishermen’s rodeo featuring sports including life-ring throwing, survival suit races and “the herring toss.”
“Being a part of the fair, putting the rides together before the fair, putting them away afterward, the opportunity to eat food that you don’t get on a regular basis, the music events—the names the fair has brought to town over the years are pretty phenomenal,” Wheeler said. He said he always participates in the horseshoe tournament. He’s also played harmonica with a group on the main stage in front of a full audience. “It was kind of scary,” he said.
The Southeast Alaska State Fair’s impact extends beyond Haines. As the name suggests, “it’s a fair for all of Southeast,” Friedenauer said. It draws people and vendors from all over the state, all of whom pay for transportation to get to Haines.
Petersburg resident Joseph Quitslund said he’s been coming to the fair for the past 12 years, ever since he first stopped in as part of a longer trip to explore the Interior. The best part is “coming up and seeing friends from all over Southeast.”
Quitslund said he knows cancelling the fair was a necessary safety precaution. He said he plans to attend next year, assuming the pandemic is under control by then.
The fair is the latest in a list of community events that have been cancelled this year including the Great Alaska Craft Beer and Home Brew Festival and the Kluane Chilkat International Bike Relay.
“It’s going to be a tough summer,” Wheeler said. He said one of the things he likes about Haines is the number of diverse events held throughout the year that bring people together.
For now, the Fishermen’s BBQ and the Haines Hustle and Backcountry Games are still scheduled for the fall. “The events in the fall are a wait and see type decision,” Johnson said.
The fair will be back in 2021, Johnson said. “For the most part, it will be the same fair.” It’s too soon to say whether the “Live free or pie hard” theme will remain, but the organization is trying to contract with the same entertainers scheduled for this year.