SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Illinois Assoc. of Agricultural Fairs (IAAF) greeted news that the Illinois General Assembly’s agriculture budget would include level funding for fairs in fiscal year 2013 with a sigh of relief, considering dramatic cuts were considered that would prompt the proposed closure of 50 state facilities.

After seeing their budget slashed in recent years, county agricultural fair organizers have increasingly relied on community volunteers and independent fundraising efforts to help make up for the lack of state funding, to pay premiums and other costs necessary to continue fairs and attract participants, according to Marvin Perzee, current director and past president of the IAAF.

“Our own (Iroquois County) fair and others have been trying alternative sources of funding, looking at off-season activities such as flea markets and camper rallies, and renting our buildings – anything to generate dollars to continue to pay the premiums we’ve been paying,” Perzee, also president of the Iroquois County Fair, said.

County fair funding was reduced 23 percent through budget cuts implemented by former Gov. Rod Blagojevich in 2008. The reduction included a cut of $626,000 in state funding for county fair associations for reimbursements for premiums paid to winners in livestock, poultry, quilting, crafts and other competitions. Rumors that premium funding would be zeroed out entirely by the state legislature – particularly the Senate – have abounded for years as the budget for premiums, formerly drawn from the state’s general fund, continued to shrink.

“In Illinois, county fairs participate in two different funding mechanisms. One of them is for premiums and for that, we were reimbursed by law (with) two-thirds of the premium paid. (The state) is now reimbursing us about 20 percent,” said Perzee.

“The second mechanism for fairs in Illinois is what they call the Rehabilitation Fund, and that was intended to help with building and maintenance projects at the fair. That funding has been cut approximately in half.”

Many agricultural fairs across Illinois, especially those in less affluent counties than Iroquois, have already been greatly affected by the budget cuts implemented over the past several years, he reported.

“There have been a number of counties that have been affected. In Iroquois County we’re still paying the same premiums as we did before all of this happened. 

Some of the fairs have backed off the amount of premiums, and some of them went to what we call jackpot shows, where the exhibitor puts in an amount of money and it’s winner take all,” Perzee said.

He fears any further reduction to state funding of agricultural fairs would greatly affect 4-H and FFA competitions. “We’d like to see them get enough in premiums to make it worthwhile to continue,” he said.

Perzee indicated IAAF’s support for Senate Bill 1849, the controversial gaming bill in front of the Illinois legislature that would allow gaming machines at horse tracks and grant licenses to five new, upstate land-based gambling casinos.

“County fairs have always lived off of the pari-mutuel through the tax on the wagering at the tracks. This bill got some pretty good traction last year, within a couple of votes of sending it to the governor’s desk,” Perzee said. “Almost 40 million of the fund would go to downstate agriculture.”

Charging admission fees and offering concession sales are other ways county fairs are scrambling to make up for lost state funding, he reported, as organizers wait for the state to allot more money for county fairs in order to remain attractive to participants and worthwhile to communities.