Fair’s cancellation major hit to club fundraisers

    It’s no secret the Chase County Fair has a major economic impact in the county.
    For a number of local organizations, last week’s fair board announcement cancelling the 2020 fair has their officers also calculating the financial losses the cancellation will bring.
    For many organizations, the Chase County Fair provides its biggest fundraising opportunity of the year.
    Officers of clubs including the Eagles, Lions, Jaycees,  Young Farmers & Ranchers and more are scratching their heads wondering how the losses can be made up.
    The Imperial Eagles Club will take the largest hit among organizations.
    Their Sunday to Sunday food booth under the grandstands fair week averages $30,000 in profits every year, said Lee Denker of Wauneta, Eagles Post #3472 board president.
    Those profits help support all of the community and other donations the Post makes, as well as help with operational costs of the club.
    “This will hurt us bad. We’ll never make that up,” Denker said following a Monday meeting of the board.
    He said they aren’t being “doom and gloom,” however.
    “The cancellation will make us work awfully hard to keep the club open. We’ll just have to find other ways” to replace the funds lost with no 2020 fair, he said.
    The fair food stand is by far their main fundraiser with the help of eight to 10 volunteers per shift.
    But, Denker said COVID-19 has also curtailed their monthly Sunday dinners and hamburger nights which are fundraisers. The state’s directives closed the club totally for five weeks.
    But, board members already are planning on ways to make up the losses.
    Denker said they are exploring the possibility of having the 4-H auction streamed live into the club, where buyers could offer bids via their cell phones for those not comfortable in being in the large crowd at the auction.
    For the Imperial Lions Club, which sets up four days of bingo on the fairgrounds, it means losses in the thousands of dollars, as well, said club treasurer Miles Colson.
    In an average year, the club nets about $7,000 or more, Colson said. Last year was the club’s best year with more than $8,300 netted.
    With the bingo profits, the club provides a $1,000 CCS senior scholarship, annual financial support of the fair, eyeglasses for needy children, sponsors the mobile screening unit at CCS and the preschools, and more.
    Last year the club also started a “first 4,000 quarters” promotion with the first $1,000 from bingo profits donated directly to a local project or entity. Last year, the money went to the food pantry.
 

To read more, go to: https://etypeservices.com/Imperial%20RepublicanID359/