Carnival & Fair News

The oppressive heatwaves that settled over much of the U.S. in the early summer negatively impacted the Salem Fair in Salem Virginia, considered the largest free-admission fair in the Mid-Atlantic region.

It was the 36th edition of the 12-day event – whose attendance is estimated to be 350,000 – but the often oppressive heat diminished anticipated outcomes, although overcoming quirks of nature has become par for the course of the Salem Fair.

“In 2023, we had to deal with the wildfire smoke from Canada and this year it was an extended streak of extremely hot days and nights,” said Carey Harveycutter, Salem Fair Manager. “We experienced several really incredible attendance days this year, but the heat certainly made it tough.”

But when Mother Nature smiled, the community turned out. “Both Saturdays and July 4 were good and the first Sunday was the best Sunday in 36 years,” he said,
And, they were ready to spend. Harveycutter said opening night revenues were up about 20 percent and the first weekend of the fair saw considerable gains over 2023, with July 6 and 7 resulting in jam-packed midways. However, the Independence Day opening was delayed by a rare July rain shower and then thunderstorms forced the fair to close about 3 hours early on July 5.



“You cannot control the weather and when it's hot the crowds tend to arrive later, which in turn hurts food sales for our outstanding concessionaires,” he said. “In addition, our donations for our featured non-profits declined this year. Overall, it was a good year. We had to deal with exceptional heat (90-95+) for many days plus lighting July 4 delayed opening 90 minutes then rain caused us to close early the next evening.”

Attendance was comparable to last year, but the community still supported their fair. “Attendance was flat, folks came later due to heat but they came out,” he said “[Attendance was] about the same as (2023),”

Deggeller Attractions Renews Contract

Temperatures were not the only numbers rising this summer. Economists may have reported that inflation had cooled in July, but at the Salem Fair price hikes were the rule not the exception. “Inflation has caused everything to increase from funnel cakes to ride wristbands,” he said.

Nonetheless, consumer confidence has remained steady. “Midway spending was on par with 2023 and food sales were slightly up for some and down for others due to heat.”

The midway provided by Deggeller Attractions featured 42 rides, the same as 2023. “Spending was up 2 percent,” said Harveycutter. “We added a fast Pass for a $20 upcharge to go to the front of the line .”

The Salem Fair “ was good overall, despite extreme heat,” said Jamie Deggeller, Director of Human Resources, Deggeller Attractions.” The midway spending was down a bit, but the ride revenue was slightly up.”

Boosting the ride revenue was a mix of new additions and crowd favorites. “We featured our new Wave Swinger, Flying Dumbos, Western Mouse Coaster and three other brand new kiddie rides this year,” she said, adding that the top grossing rides were unsurprisingly: “Giant Wheel, Carousel, Coasters.”



It was not just the 36th year for the Deggeller Attractions midway at the Salem Fair – the only carnival company the fair has ever had – but 2024 also marked a reaffirmation of this relationship. “and this is the first year of a new multi-year contact they won in competitive bidding this year,” said Harveycutter. “Deggeller has been the sole provider of carnival rides games and food all 36 Salem Fairs. They provided a carnival for a still date to prove the fair would work..”

The contract spans three years with additional single year extensions and aside from “some technical matters” adheres to the arrangement that has proven so effective thus far. “We trust the Deggeller family to present a quality show for our patrons,” said Harveycutter. “They focus on safety and are true partners with the fair. We have access to all financial areas at any time including the counting room and ticket areas.”

He noted this partnership echoes the professionalism, camaraderie and attention-to-detail that are key components of the corporate culture of the carnival company, the 10th largest in the industry, based on the carnivals playing the top 50 attended fairs, according to Carnival Warehouse. “Their staff is clean, don't smoke on the job and cannot use cell phones when working on rides,” he said. “We appreciate that they treat their employees like family and many have been with Deggeller for many, many years.”

The carnival company's involvement extends beyond the midway and into the community. The Salem Fire and EMS Department publicly thanked Deggeller Attractions for “graciously donating a Rescue Golf Cart which will be used for spectator medical transport at all outdoor city events.”

It's one thing to establish a revenue generating midway year-after-year at the fair, it's quite another to support the community that supports the fair “[Deggeller Attractions] provide additional funds to the city outside the contract too,” he explained. “This year they purchased an EMS vehicle for use at events and in past years they have purchased warm weather apparel for our police; purchased railings for our football stadium, and  a math lab at our middle school.”

Deggeller Attractions contracts with dozens of fair organizations throughout the season. What is the Salem Fair doing right? “They have great community involvement and really care about their patrons,” said Deggeller.

And the secret behind having a relationship between midway provider and a Fair Board that is now in its 4th decade? “Open communication and a great team to work with,” she added.

Summertime is Fun

The fair's marketing theme this year was “Summertime Fun,” an anodyne catchall sentiment that was described as “our usual theme, a true theme would not draw additional attendance, so we do not invest in it.”

Instead, the marketing imperative has been to expand the reach of messaging, capitalizing on the fair's growing destination appeal. “We are the biggest summer event in Central and Southwest Virginia,” he said.

The advertising budget has remained consistent post-lockdown – approximately $55,000 – but supplements with other government funding – transforming it into a regional event. “We broadened our reach. using Virginia Tourism grant dollars,” explained Harveycutter. “We advertised in Richmond, Hampton Roads and Metro DC.”
For 2024, this meant that the budget was allocated to 70 percent “local” with the remaining 30 percent distributed in to such adjacent demographics as Southwest Virginia, the city of Harrisonburg Virginia and the state's former territory of West Virginia. Approximately 50 percent of the advertising budget was allocated to digital advertising, especially Facebook and Google Ad Words, with the remaining distributed: Print 5 percent – for brochures; Radio 30 percent and TV 15 percent.
The official press release on the fair noted that the Blue-Ribbon exhibit section was back in the air-conditioned Salem Civic Center arena for the third straight year, attracting large crowds as eager to fully experience the Salem Fair as to find respite from the extreme heat. Exhibitors entered 1,345 items in a variety of competitive categories ranging from painting to pickling and there were increases in both exhibits and participants.

“We greatly appreciate all the folks who continue to support the Salem Fair, and despite the heat we saw plenty of smiling faces this year,” Wendy Delano, Salem's Director of Civic Facilities said. “Carey and I are very proud of the employees who worked through some incredibly adverse conditions to make sure everything was ready when the gates opened each and every day,”

The Salem Fair succeeded in 2024 by sticking to its community-centric mission. “ Fairs are relevant because it is an opportunity to interact with your neighbors in person and not via a phone,” said Harveycutter.

When asked why the Salem Fair has continued for 36 years, his response was more pragmatic. “We began at the right time, in the right place, shortly after Lakeside Amusement Park closed. We have continued to succeed because we focus on the guests while working to secure a profit for the city.”