Poor weather could affect next year’s Jefferson City Jaycee Fair if attendance doesn’t improve
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
Bad weather this week has forced the Jefferson City Jaycee Fair to cancel multiple events and could have a direct impact on next year’s fair.
On Thursday night, the fair had to enact its Fair Emergency Management Plan as storms rolled through Jefferson City.
“We have a meeting every evening before the fair, EMS, Sheriff’s Department and stage crew, you know the entertainment management and stuff like that and go over what’s going to happen or what we think is going to happen,” Fair Chairman Daren Shepardly said. “We get an hourly update of the weather so we feel like we are really prepared.”
The Jefferson City Jaycee Fair is the Jaycee’s biggest revenue generator of the year. But numbers have been down this year due to the bad weather.
“We feel like there has been an impact in attendance," Shepardly said. "Things have been a little bit slower but we’re really keeping our chins up and hoping for better results for the weekend.”
The majority of the profits from the fair are donated, after setting aside some money for a general start-up to out on next year's fair.
The donated money goes to other Jaycee causes such as Wonderland Camp in the Lake of the Ozarks, Access Day at the State Fair, the Jefferson City Parks and Recreation Department and more.
Low attendance this year could have a direct impact on next year's event as well as Jaycee’s charitable causes.
“If we don’t have a bigger crowd tonight and tomorrow, it could very much ruin our fair for us. Like, it could really hurt our startup next year,” Shepardly told ABC 17 News.
Immediately after the fair is over, organizers begin shopping for bands next year. Shepardly said they have already begun booking musical acts for the 2024 fair.
Country music artist Shane Profitt was one of the concerts that got rained out on Thursday night. The Jaycees Fair still had to pay him for his time but Profitt agreed to give them a discount for next year to come back and perform.
Between $300,000-360,000 is needed for their general startup. The cost has gone up significantly since the COVID pandemic so Jaycee had to rely heavily on sponsors this year. More than $60,000 was raised through sponsors this year.
That trend could continue next year because of the bad weather.
“If we don’t have a successful night today and tomorrow it could really hurt us. It could be a catastrophe for us, “ Shepardly reiterated.
It’s not just the fair that would be impacted by poor attendance. The Christmas parade, truck retreat, and all of Jaycee’s charitable efforts would feel the impact.
“There’s a lot of people in central Missouri that don’t recognize what the Jaycees do,” Shepardly said. “We put on a lot of events that people don’t know about.
