On Monday, April 30th, the University of MN Extension Service provided a presentation to the various stakeholders involved in the 2017 Pine County Fair Attendee & Participant Assessment & Economic Value study. The following details were provided as part of the Executive Summary shared with those in attendance:
Like many county fairs, the Pine County Fair features 4-H exhibits, talent shows, open class exhibits, live music, and kid’s activities. However, the Pine County Fair’s biggest draw is the Demolition Derby. Considered by some the “hardest hitting demolition derby in the Midwest”, the derby draws around 100 registrants each year and sells thousands of tickets.
In 2017, the University of Minnesota Extension was contracted to profile attendees and Demolition Derby participants at Pine County Fair and to estimate the Fair’s economic value in the community. The project aimed to assist management decisions, enhance the Fair, and maximize benefits to the community.
Extension surveyed Fair attendees, Demolition Derby participants, Pine City businesses, and Fair vendors. Extension tailored its survey approach to each of the groups.
An on-site questionnaire was administered to attendees between Wednesday, Aug 2nd and Sunday, Aug 6th, 2017. An on-site questionnaire was administered to Derby participants between Friday, Aug 4th and Sunday, Aug 6th, 2017. A convenience sample was used for both surveys to ensure coverage across activities and locations during the Fair. For the attendee survey, a total of 1,081 surveys were collected, and 1,065 were qualified for data analysis. For the Derby participant survey, a total of 58 questionnaires were collected and used for data analysis. Data from completed questionnaires were entered, cleaned, and checked using Excel and analyzed using SPSS (version 24.0).
An on-site questionnaire was also administered to Fair vendors using a convenience sample. In total, 33 vendors completed the survey. For the business survey, the sampling plan included targeting businesses in Pine City, with an emphasis on businesses most likey to experience Fair traffic. In the end, the online survey received 24 completed responses. Finally, for the non-profit vendors (primarily food vendors), the plan called for surveying all vendors. In total, the survey received 7 online responses from a list of 8 vendors.
The results of the Pine County Fair study are available in a 60-page report provided by the Extension Service.
Pine County Fair – Attendee & Participant Assessment & Economic Value