It’s fair week, and one group has been key over the years

With the Mariposa County Fair taking place this week, it might be a time to remember how a local group has helped one of the most used venues in the county.

The fair takes place this Friday through Monday at the fairgrounds, with a full slate of activities for young and old alike. (Visit mariposafair.com for more details.

In addition, free fair guides published by this newspaper are available at many locations around Mariposa.)

That, however, may not have been possible when, in 2011, things were looking bleak for the fairgrounds — and all other fairgrounds in California.

“The state was in a budget crisis,” said Codie Hart.

At the time, then-Gov. Jerry Brown decided one step the state could take was cutting the budget of all fairgrounds — 100 percent.

“It was the lifeblood,” said Hart, referring to the funding coming from the state.

Hart said it takes “hundreds of thousands of dollars” a year to “keep it open.”

The longtime manager of the fairgrounds, Brian Bullis, who has since retired, “realized it was a huge issue,” said Hart.

To that end, he reached out to close to 30 people who had some connections to the fairgrounds and asked them to come to a meeting.

Hart, a 4-H leader for more than 30 years and the 4-H County Council president at the time, was one of those in attendance.

“He explained the problem,” said Hart. “There was no stream of income.”

That, all of them knew, was a major problem and the outlook for the fairgrounds was bleak. Bullis suggested a group be formed that had “no ties to the state,” said Hart.

That was crucial since all fairgrounds in California are owned by the state and dealing with the red tape can be a hair-pulling experience. Hart said that was a critical decision made by Bullis and continues to pay dividends when it comes to helping the fairgrounds.

Coming together

Hart said the fairgrounds did have a savings account in place, but it was not enough to keep the fairgrounds in top shape as well as operating all year around.

About a dozen local residents came together, he said.

It was 2011 and the Mariposa Friends of the Fairgrounds was formed.

Hart said it was a struggle for the first couple of years. The fairgrounds would identify an area of need, the Friends group would raise the money and then they would be out of money again.

They did that for a couple of years, he said.

And then, in 2013, Hart said the group had learned enough to “create regular revenue streams.”

That was the same year the Sausage ‘N Suds fundraiser was conceived. The group felt it was a good concept and dove in head first.

“We did it on a shoestring,” said Hart.

From that shoestring, the three-hour event raised more than $10,000.

They knew they were on to something and the event has been a local staple since.

The group also has always offered memberships, which Hart said have been steady throughout the years.

For just $20, a person can get a year membership and it’s $40 for a family. A lifetime membership is $450 and Hart said there are a lot of those which have been purchased.

A royal idea

Another component of the Friends group is the Mariposa Rodeo Royalty organization.

Hart said the group was “not self-sustaining” and they approached the Friends for sponsorship.

“Yes,” said Hart, “but …”

That but was that the Friends group would get involved and part of the process would be the Rodeo Royalty participants raising money for the Friends along with their own organization.

“They have raised a lot,” said Hart.

He did acknowledge there were a “few lean years” for the royalty group but the past few years it is back on track and one of the success stories for the Friends organization.

And then there is the local VFW chapter, which realized they were struggling to handle both the Beer Gardens and the Cowboy Beer Booth at the fairgrounds.

They turned over the Cowboy Beer Booth to the Friends group in 2014 and that has also turned out to be a nice revenue

A real focus

One thing Hart emphasized was one of the founding concepts of Friends was “only the fairgrounds” would benefit from the fundraising.

“We are focused on making sure you have a fair,” he said.

Though they have been approached by many groups, including youth asking if they can purchase animals, Hart said the Friends group has not wavered from their initial directive.

It sure seems to have paid off.

Since its founding, Mariposa Friends of the Fairgrounds have contributed more than $500,000 to the fairgrounds.

“We have fixed or replaced virtually ever venue at the fairgrounds,” said Hart.

The list of items is nearly endless, from fences to kitchen carts to a side by side to crowd control barriers, if it’s at the fairgrounds, there’s a good chance the Friends have had their hand in the upgrades.

In one instance, Hart said the tractor at the fairgrounds had a broken transmission. Because it’s a state-owned facility, they have to contact state officials for direction.

The state, said Hart, told them they would have to buy a new tractor as opposed to replacing the transmission. Local fair officials knew that was out of the question because of the huge expense of a new tractor.

The fairgrounds turned to the Friends group, which approved a new transmission for the tractor.

The tractor is still in operation today.

They have also been involved in the “glamping” cabins at the fairgrounds, air conditioning for some of the buildings, the lighted LED sign on the highway and so much more.

Now, they are looking at restoring the waterfall venue located behind Building B. At one time, said Hart, it was a popular place for weddings. Now it is disrepair and is on the list for the Friends group. So is the flooring in the Redbud building and they are considering a ceiling replacement in the exhibit building.

And that’s just some of it.

For Hart, he said the board takes a point of pride in knowing “every single dime” spent to upgrade the fairgrounds “has come from the Mariposa community. I have never seen a community more giving.”

More than a fairgrounds

Though the fair and Mariposa Butterfly Festival are the two main events held at the fairgrounds each year, Hart said that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

“There are dozens of events a year,” he said.

That can include class reunions, weddings, funerals, celebrations, motorcycle club gatherings and much more.

Did you know there are 150 fully equipped RV spots at the fairgrounds?

Hart knows. He said they are heavily used, as well, and are affordable for travelers.

There are also many camping spots as well as full showers and more.

And then there is the community safety factor.

When natural disasters strike, namely fires but also floods, wind events and more, the fairgrounds becomes a staging area for emergency responders.

CAL FIRE, especially, utilizes the fairgrounds during major wildfires.

“They use virtually every venue,” said Hart.

It’s also utilized by PG&E, the sheriff’s office and other agencies.

“It is a full-service fairgrounds,” said Hart.

Those also bring in revenue for the fairgrounds along with providing public safety.

Hart said many times people don’t realize just how integral the fairgrounds is to Mariposa County and how it is a centerpiece of the area. Almost like Yosemite, it is sometimes taken for granted.

He said when the financial crisis hit, he felt Bullis was doing a great job of keeping the fairgrounds maintained. But the loss of money also meant a loss of maintenance.

Because of the support of the community through the Friends organization, Hart believes the fairgrounds is in top shape and they are able to do that much-needed maintenance that keeps it in good condition.

“It is a much more modern, secure place now,” he said.

In fact, the Friends group funded an entire security system for the fairgrounds and that has already paid off. It was thanks to that system that an arrest was recently made of someone trying to break into the office.

“It works well,” said Hart.

Another bonus at the fairgrounds is the fact both AT&T and Verizon have installed cell towers on the grounds in the past few years.

“It was a dead spot,” said Hart.

That not only has improved communication, but provides another source of revenue for the fairgrounds which is on steep terrain that would otherwise be unusable.

Moving ahead

Hart said the state of California has once again been providing funding to fairgrounds.

Though it’s not at the levels prior to 2011, he said it has made a difference for the operations of the facility.

“We’re just going to keep on going,” he said. “It is rewarding to be a safety net. We want to keep it self-sustaining.”

In order to do that, Hart said it takes active board members, who all know they have to work hard to keep the fairgrounds in good condition.

Current board members are Hart, president; Carol Suggs, vice-president; Kimberly Long, secretary; Beverly Suggs, treasurer; and members Christene Scott, Kevin Shelton, Buz Aronld, Patricia Wight and Heely Patterson.

“Everything we do, everybody does,” said Hart.

All have to take shifts at the beer booth, all work Sausage ‘N Suds and they are involved in many activities.

And that, says Hart, is why the group has been so successful over the years and they look forward to serving the fairgrounds — thanks to the generosity of local residents — for many years to come.

For more information, visit mariposafof.com where there are forms for membership, an events schedule and more.