The economic impact of the Fair is part of a report from the California Department of Food & Agriculture (CDFA), Division of Fairs and Expositions (F&E).

The CDFA/F&E oversees California's 78 fairs to ensure the best use of available funding and other services. F&E has released an updated report of the economic impacts for the Merced County Fair and the state's other fairs. The report covers the years 2003-2009.

The Merced County Fair generated approximately $30,615,000 in spending activity in 2009 alone, benefiting the local economy and creating a ripple effect of economic benefit for the state.

"You can't put a price tag on the memories that are made at our fair and at the fairgrounds 365 days a year – those are priceless – but we can put a dollar sign in front of the Merced County Fair's economic contributions to this county, and that number is huge," said the fair's CEO, Tom Musser.

In 2009, 533,523 people attended the Merced County Fair and other fairgrounds events. Fairgoers bought admission tickets, food and other concessions, carnival rides and other products and services. Fair organizers, concessionaires and commercial exhibitors spent money on supplies, lodging, meals and more. These purchases – everything from ice, paper products, animal feed, landscaping plants, paint, printed materials, gasoline, building supplies and produce – boost the local economy by infusing dollars that are spent again by others.

The Merced County Fair generates business tax revenue through the collection of state and local sales taxes, transient occupancy taxes, possessory interest taxes, business license taxes and other taxes and fees. These revenues further generate economic activity by providing for programs to benefit the local community. Tax revenues to local and state governments generated by fairs and events held at the Merced County Fair in 2009 are estimated at $251,000.

A number of local organizations use the fair as their major source of income. Club Mercedes, Merced College Blue Devil Bench, the American Legion and 4-H clubs are just a few of the local non-profit organizations that raise much of their annual budgets to fund their community activities by selling food and beverages at the annual fair.

The Merced County Fair is a year-round enterprise that's a community gathering place, hosting events including a flea market that draws up to 5,000 people most Saturdays and it's the site of quinceaneras, wedding receptions, fundraiser events, Hmong New Year's celebrations, high school graduations, dog shows, RV and car shows, job fairs, health fairs, e-waste recycling, Head Start programs, Speedway auto racing and folks even vote there. Fairgrounds are also used as staging sites and rescue locations during floods, fires, earthquakes and other emergencies.

The network of California fairs generates $2.5 billion dollars annually in economic activity benefiting the local, state and global economy, creates 28,000 jobs and produces about $136 million in state and local government tax revenues.

For more information call (209) 722-1507 or email to Info@MercedCountyFair.com. Visit the Fair’s website, www.MercedCountyFair.com and connect with us – find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.