Photo by Bill Green Trinity United Methodist Church Pastor Lynn Wilson serves a hot bowl of soup to Molly Senser on Monday afternoon at The Great Frederick Fair.

"But it's a lot," said J.R. Ramsburg, fair board president.

The financial impact the fair has on the local economy can't be overstated, several fair board members said Monday. At a minimum, the county's largest agricultural event contributes more than $1 million to the local economy, Ramsburg said.

Year-round, it's even more.

"When you think about The Great Frederick Fair, don't just think about it on a two-week basis. Think about us as a year-round business," Ramsburg said.

Jack Stoorza, business manager of Reithoffer Shows Inc., which operates the Frederick fair's carnival, said company employees recently spent $341,000 in Fairmont, Vt., and expects them to spend between $200,000 to $250,000 buying services in Frederick .

"It's a very large impact, and I'm just talking about the shows," he said.

Reithoffer hires 65 to 70 employees, including local residents, and brings 200 to 250 family members to town who operate more than 100 concessions.

Stoorza said the show needs parts and repairs for its rides and trucks. It uses a local landscaper for plantings, a local tent company, and buys a large amount of diesel fuel for Reithoffer's generators and tractors.

In addition, Reithoffer Shows pays a 10 percent state tax on tickets sold for rides, Stoorza said.

Many of the family members use hotels and motels, said Nancy Hendricks, a former fair board president.

Hendricks said a family of six to eight adults arrived at the fairgrounds at 3 a.m. Sunday, put their horses in a stall and went to a local hotel.

"So they're leaving their money here," she said.

The money the fair makes ends up being spent, said fair board treasurer Maurice Gladhill.

"In the big picture, the fair spends all the revenue we receive on maintaining the facilities and taking care of the fairgrounds," he said. "We give out contracts on repairing electrical work, blacktop replacement, replacing roofs."

The fairground has hundreds and thousands of square feet of roofed space that must be maintained, Gladhill said. The fair board is upgrading the facility gradually each year for handicap accessibility.

"We're constantly improving ramp ways and door access," he said.

Business, churches benefit

Churches and local businesses also benefit from the fair.

Ballenger Creek Chiropractic has rented a booth at the fair for four years.

"It's definitely been worth our while," chiropractic assistant Tammy Williar, said. "It gets our name out there in the community. People see how we can help them and it brings in business."

Trinity United Methodist Church has operated a food tent at the fair since 1964, said church member Joyce Rowe, who was serving the crowd Monday.

"It helps with our finances every year," Rowe said. "And we minister to the fair workers."

Trinity Church operates its food outlet 24 hours a day during fair week.

"Let it be known that the soup is made by the church ladies and it's the best vegetable soup around," said Sarah Bryan, a church member who has worked the booth for 14 years.

Gladhill, who owns and operates the local John Deere dealership, said the fair presents an excellent opportunity to meet and greet customers and potential customers "and keep our green color in the spotlight."

Fair board member Charles Cramer said participants and attendees also buy groceries, tires and batteries. Small, local eateries benefit too, Ramsburg said, because people don't always eat at the fair.

For example, when nationally known singer Gretchen Wilson arrived with two tractor-trailers, she wanted certain beverages and food.

"We had to go out and buy it for her," Cramer said.

Ramsburg said the list of fair week costs "by no means represents all the expenses paid out for the nine-day event. It doesn't begin to include the mulch, the stone, grease barrels, the promotional items, the printing, the fencing, the livestock panels, the judges' fees, the flowers and special decorations, the signage, the gasoline, the food beverage suppliers."

Fair board vice president Jim Grimes said the economic impact of having more than 250,000 people attend the fair shouldn't be understated. He said many local businesses benefit.

"For my own business, I got a call from a guy who said he's coming to town for the fair and wants to see my motorcycles. So, it spills over to many businesses," said Grimes, who owns Boss Hoss, a motorcycle sales and service center on Bucheimer Road.