Carnival backs out of county fair

The Inland Empire carnival has backed out of the Elmore County fair, leaving fair officials furious and scrambling to find a last-minute solution to the loss of one of the fair's top attractions.

But fair officials also stressed that "the fair is not the carnival. It's the people of Elmore County that are the fair," according to Elmore County Fair Board Vice-Chairman Larry Jewett during an interview with the Mountain Home News on July 13.

"The fair is still going to happen," Jewett said. "It's still going to be a great event."

The fair is scheduled to begin Monday, July 23, and last through July 28. Most "public" activities at the fair begin on Wednesday, which in the past has been the first day the carnival has opened.

Inland Empire, Inc., has supplied a carnival, usually its Royal West string, for the annual Elmore County Fair since 2004.

Reed Williams, of the Royal West Carnival subsidiary of Inland Empire, was reluctant to discuss the company's reasons for backing out. Before referring all further inquiries back to the fair board, Williams did say "They did some things I didn't think they were going to so we're just not talking about it." He declined further comment.

When Inland Empire backed out of its commitment to operate during the 2007 Fair, it breached a three-year contract with Elmore County, fair officials said.

"They breached their contract," Jewett contended. "We didn't find out until last week (Saturday July 7) and it left us in a real bind."

He said that the fair board's attorney has been contacted "and I think we'll come out in good shape, as far as the money goes."

Michael Mitchell, chairman of the Fair Board, indicated that the board was surprised by Inland Empire's announcement that they would not be coming to this year's fair.

He said Fair Manager Kate Ackerson, in her first year after longtime fair director Kathy Wylie had been fired last fall, had been in contact with the secretary for Inland Empires since early May, and had been assured that the carnival would be at this year's fair. Additionally, she was told that the "presale tickets," from which the fair derives a sizable amount of revenue, were on their way.

However, when the tickets had not arrived by June 1, Mitchell contacted Reed Williams, CEO of Inland Empire. Williams said he could not take Mitchell's call at that time and that he would call back. He never did. Even after leaving several voice messages on Williams' phone, Mitchell did not hear back from the company, he said.

On July 7, just over two weeks before the fair was to begin, an employee from Inland Empire, Inc. called Ackerson and requested a meeting. It was during that meeting, she was told Inland Empire would not provide a carnival for the 2007 Elmore County Fair.

The Elmore County Fair Board met on Monday, July 9, to discuss the matter, and Mitchell contacted the board's attorney, Phil Miller, that same day.

It appears there is a settlement on the horizon. However, Mitchell was unsure just how much of a financial settlement Elmore County could expect.

Rumors that Ackerson had been fired, are unfounded, Mitchell emphasized. Ackerson has unofficially announced that she might resign her position when her contract comes up for renewal in September.

Ackerson's husband, who serves with the U.S. Air Force, has been reassigned. It is not yet determined whether Mrs. Ackerson will be allowed to accompany her husband to his new duty station.

However, Ackerson told Mitchell that during the absence of her husband she needed to focus more of her attention on her two children. Mitchell is hoping the Fair Board can persuade Ackerson to stay on. "I'm trying to talk her into staying," Mitchell said, "She's done a great job." He emphasized that the situation with Inland Empire was not Ackerson's fault.

Williams told Ackerson that the company had double booked for the period during which the fair is held, and that his attempts to subcontract the job failed because amusement companies were reluctant to travel to Idaho due to current fuel prices.

After learning that the carnival would not be part of this year's county fair, the Fair Board members authorized Ackerson to contact midway vendors advising them of the change of circumstances.

The lack of a carnival will have a substantial impact on this year's fair. It's one of the biggest attractions for the public, and vendors on the midway rely heavily on its drawing potential, Ackerman indicated.

She's been calling vendors who have already applied for a spot for this year's fair to let them know that the carnival will not be present and offering them the opportunity to back out, or receive a 25 percent discount on their application fees.

"I just feel that's the honorable thing to do," said Ackerman who was hired by the Fair Board just last year. Of the 35 vendors who had already signed up for this year's Fair, only two backed out, Ackerson said last Friday during a telephone interview.

Both Mitchell and Ackerson worked diligently to find another amusement company willing to bring a carnival to the Fair. However, the only such company in Idaho was already booked, and out-of-state companies declined due to current fuel prices.

Ackerson said that Bouncin' Bins of Caldwell will be bringing in five inflatable amusement activities for kids.

For Fair updates log onto the Mountain Home News website at: www.mountainhomenews.com.