Will this "loan" ever be repaid or just forgiven by a future Council?

With luck, the Home of the Silver Stetson sees a 100 years and the loan is paid back in full plus interest.

I am new to fall fairs, but I wanted to participate. After being frustrated with missing the deadline three times, I now know I have to read the fine print. According to the fair book if my children want to enter a photograph, a potato, a story, and a lego building and I want to submit a floral arrangement, this is the proceedure:
1. Pick up a PGX Prize Book
2. Find the small print where the entry deadline is written, this year on page 7 and 8.
3. Begin the various projects.
4. Prepare and submit my entry form by July 30th, as per small print.
5. Oops! I did not read the small print regarding the super spud entry, which is due not on the 30th, but on May 29! It is in smaller print than the main deadline, three lines down. Oh, dear, my children are so dissapointed.
6. That mistake has cost me twice, for the story cannot be submitted either. The deadline for Creative Writing is July 15. After four attempts I am still not getting this!!!
7. My flowers, the photograph and the lego building entries are in time.
8. Week of the Fair, my schedule:
-bring in the photograph for judging on Sunday between 10 and 6 of the 8th,
-the lego building and photograph on Monday between 10 and 6,
-then the floral arrangement Tuesday between 10 and 6.

A nightmare or fun at the fair? I haven't even shown up at the door yet....I may not have displayed my entries correctly.

"2010 until closer to the exhibition dates; a part time staff has been laid off since November 2009,however, both staff have continued to work as volunteers and are putting in full time hours."

This is nothing more than transferring the staffing costs to the government. They laid off staff yet they continue to work as "volunteers" while collecting their EI cheques every 2 weeks.

Creative thinking although I am not real sure EI would approve of it if that is indeed what they did.

Am I just getting old or is the Fall Fair just not the event it was 25 years ago?

Fall Fair, has now become the PGX....What has happened to the livestock entries and prizes? Beef cattle, dairy cattle, swine, sheep, and goats??? I am not talking about display animals. The Rabbits still have their entries and judging but that seems to be all that remains.
I remember a older Director saying that 4-H
is getting too large and does not bring in any money to the exhibition, but receives a lot of freebies from the exhibition. He believed it would be the downfall of the Prince George Fall Fair. Has this become true??? Is it true that they pay nothing into the exhibition, and neither do the parents of these children?
There seems to be a lot of things that are now missing which the commumity took part in. It seems to be too commerialized now.
If the exhibition is going to start charging for children, then they should have more then the midway to entertain them, that doesn't cost the parents an arm and a leg. I think with the new prices it is going to affect attendance this year in a bad way.

Scorpio42;

when I worked and volunteered for the PGX the livestock was hurt by the Chicken Flu and Mad Cow Disease, so those enteries were no longer coming in as the owners of such animals didn't want to take the chances that there may be an outbreak, or that their animals may come into contact with animals that were diseased. And before you all go off about doesn't the PGX check such things prior too, well we do get confirmation from the person who owns the animals that they are healthy and not diseased but it could be an underlying issue that hasn't shown any signs as at that time!!

so those types of animals did and still do decline unfortunately for the PGX and yes the barns were a huge draw during the fair!!

same old, same old.
The price and the cost of everything continues to rise. The last time I went to the PGX was a few years ago and I was astonished at how much it costs to attend. I began to notice a substantial drop in attendance. In seeking a more affordable way to attend, there were those very cost effective arm band ride passes. They were great.
The problem is that when customers en mass all capitalize and there expenditure per attendee drops from $100 per day to $10, the provider will have financial troubles.

The PGX is in the catch 22, between rock and hard place. They have to make enough money to keep the doors open, but the attendees will seek to lower their costs.

Now the question becomes, do we now treat this as another special interest group to be supported financially just so the shysters have a weekend in PG?

Loki, the PGX attendance has increased - 2009 had a record attendance of over 44,000 people. Hard to call them a "special interest group".

Like I said, it has been a few years since I attended and that was when I noted fewer patrons on the grounds, it was not crowded. I know I do not have hard numbers to back my anecdotal experience. The point is that it costs a horrendous amount to take a family to the fair and the costs had escalated, so we stopped going.

Buss: you say that last year the attendance was 44k. So what was it in each of the previous years? Was there a significant year over year increase or was that an anomalous year?

Now assuming that attendance has increased each year, and the price for admission has remained static, how is it that they are in financial straights? Logic says that more patrons equals more gross revenues with the expenses only going up to a lessor extent due to economies of scale. They should be making more profit on each consumer. Have their costs gone up so much that they outstrip the economies of scale savings?

There is a reason that any business succeeds or fails. The question here is what is that reason in regards to the PGX?

Just because 44k sounds like a FBN, does not preclude them from being a special interest group.
Wikipedia
A Special Interest Group (SIG) is a community with an interest in advancing a specific area of knowledge, learning or technology where members cooperate to effect or to produce solutions within their particular field, and may meet communicate, meet and organize conferences. They may at times also advocate or lobby on a particular issue or on a range of issues but are generally distinct from Advocacy groups and pressure groups which are normally set up for the specific political aim; the distinction is not firm however and some organizations can adapt and change their focus over time.

By that web definition it is not hard at all to call them a special interest group. I know it is not Websters, but it is close enough for a talking point.

Loki:

I worked for the PGX for 4yrs and the costs asscociated with putting on a 4 day fair is horrendous!

rememeber everything you see on the grounds has to be paid for, that includes all of the entertainment, including the free entertainment stage and then there is the entertainment for the beef & bouquet banquet which is for all of the exhibitors, as well the PGX has to pay for meals eaten by volunteers after so many hours put in.

trust me working in the office at the PGX was a very huge eye opener on what costs and takes to make this event happen!! and all the extra hours all office staff puts in unpaid for!! and as for the volunteers they put in many many many appreciated hours!!

and believe you me the PGX does everything in their power to keep the costs affordable, they don't raise prices easily!!and they take great measures to see if there is anyway around uping the prices to the consumer!!

I go every year as I love all there is free to look at and see and do at the PGX every year!!

I highly suggest that any and all nay sayers on this site should do some volunteer time at the PGX and do it when the fair is over so you can see that they start almost immediately working on the next year!! as it does take a full year to get it all together!!

oh and Loki all of this was not just aimed at you!! LOL

Anastasia:
between u and me, I like your well reasoned and well crafted comments. I have never seen you aim at anyone. I do not perceive your response to be directed at me, only answering my questions. Thank you.

There is a small dichotomy in your post though.
"working in the office at the PGX was a very huge eye opener on what costs and takes to make this event happen!"
and
"I go every year as I love all there is free to look at and see and do at the PGX every year!!"

You are well aware of the costs, and likely the income so can infer the profit or loss. In addition to my still unanswered previous questions, I have one for you, you opened the door. Besides the freebies, do you also use the for fee activities to support your beloved annual event? When I was taking my family of four, it cost about $100 per person per day at the fair.

You are not the only one on this site to work the fair. I and later my spouse worked the weekend. She would do the food or the dart joints, I would kill it in the 'rang joints like the can smash and bottle throw.

Big city folks have the PNE. During their "fair' they give away as prizes new cars and a house after it is all over. Maybe the PGX can enlarge attendance by giving away as prizes a bicycle every day (being over run with unused bike lanes as we are) and at the end of the fair, with relative economies of scale, maybe the PGX can have a grand prize of an aluminum shed (10 X 12) donated by Crappy Tire as their "grand prize."

Loki:
Besides the freebies, do you also use the for fee activities to support your beloved annual event?

I am not sure what you are asking here? sorry

and ss for working at the Fair I am not talking about working for the "ride & game & food providers" I am talking about working strictly for the PGX, the PGX does not own any game or food concessions, nor rides, all of those are private.

Posted by: Harbinger on June 8 2010 3:48 PMBig city folks have the PNE. During their "fair' they give away as prizes new cars and a house after it is all over. Maybe the PGX can enlarge attendance by giving away as prizes a bicycle every day (being over run with unused bike lanes as we are) and at the end of the fair, with relative economies of scale, maybe the PGX can have a grand prize of an aluminum shed (10 X 12) donated by Crappy Tire as their "grand prize."

Harbinger you should really go volunteer/get a job at the PGX as the donations person. Trust me it isn't as easy as you think to get donations in this city as everyone is constantly being asked to donate something or other!!

The PGX is okay but pails to say Cedar Point, Boblow Island or Canada's Wonderland. Rides at the PGX are lame compared to them. The price is $20 bucks to get in last time I went. My fat ex commonlaw smoker gross me out bought the ticket. Wonder if her fat ass is going this year. She bitched like fat lard sitting in the sun to long smell up the town.

LOL now everyone run and hide. Where all those NDP/war on drugs supporters. Anyone else wanna go.

Anastasia, it is called donor fatigue. 8200 registered charities in Ottawa, and every one and their brother and sister with their pet causes have their hands out for your after tax dough. After digesting this situation, methinks I will start a charity that helps left handed albino midgets with club feet. But I don't think I will run across Canada to raise funds. Just take 80 percent from the donations as expenses for my charity. Anyone can do that if they have chutzpa.

Long live the PGX.
metalman.