Cooper County Fair loses $5,000 deposit, has no carnival rides
COLUMBIA, Mo (KMIZ)
The Cooper County Fair is moving forward without carnival rides this year after its contracted ride company, Amusement Associates, shut down unexpectedly and did not return the fair’s $5,000 deposit.
Cooper County Fair Board President Bryan Larm said the board hired Amusement Associates in January after meeting with the company at a fairs and festivals event. The Cooper County board then paid a $5,000 deposit for carnival rides.
“We made the $5,000 deposit. Everything was golden,” Larm said. “Then last week, we got an email and it said he was going to cease business for insurance purposes.”
Larm said the company gave the fair about one week’s notice. He said Amusement Associates told the board it could no longer afford the insurance costs required to remain in business.
The late notice left the fair board scrambling to find another company before the fair began. Larm said the Cooper County Fair was one of four fairs affected by the same company.
Larm confirmed the fair did not get its deposit back.
“So, yeah, we did lose $5,000,” Larm said.
The board has discussed taking the company to court, but Larm said no final decision has been made. Board members are speaking with attorneys about whether pursuing the money would be worth the cost.
“We can’t spend $10,000 to make $5,000 either,” Larm said. “We’re in discussions with some lawyers, trying to get some ideas of what we should do and how far we should take it.”
The fair normally sells $25 wristbands for carnival rides. Larm did not provide an estimate for how much additional revenue the fair could lose without those sales.
“I don’t want to say a number because I could be totally off, but we have a very strong community and a very supportive community,” Larm said.
The board contacted other carnival companies after learning Amusement Associates would not attend. Larm said one company from Oklahoma considered coming, but could not make the trip work because of travel costs and other commitments.
That company is expected to send the fair a bid for next year.
Larm said finding carnival companies has become increasingly difficult for smaller county fairs because there are fewer companies available and many are already booked.
The board added other activities in place of the missing carnival rides, including miniature golf, a dunk tank, pony rides and other games.
Larm said the fair still has nightly entertainment, miniature golf, a dunk tank, pony rides, games and animals in the barns.
“Come see us. We’ve got lots of entertainment,” Larm said. “There’s something for everybody every night.”
The fair board is also reviewing its contracts as it plans for future events.
“We’re definitely looking more into our contracts and making sure that they are legit,” Larm said. “We want a little more knowledge about them to make sure all our I’s are dotted and our T’s are crossed.”
