Benton Co. fairground changes have fair supporters worried about its future
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Benton County may revise the fair contract, citing concerns about high costs.
- Fair leaders say proposed changes would double costs and strain volunteers.
- The fair brings in scholarships, jobs and local nonprofit support.
Benton County debated major changes to its partnership with the Benton Franklin Fair Association at a recent meeting, but the nonprofit is concerned some of the plans could harm the 77-year-old event.
County commissioners approved a new contract this week that could have a major impact on the fair as soon as the 2026 season, and even recently discussed whether finding a new partner to operate the fair and rodeo could lower costs for visitors.
The workshop and contract updates come as the county is pouring $15 million into fairgrounds upgrades, hoping to see more year-round use at the property.
There also have been complaints about the beloved event becoming too expensive for families to attend, though the fair hasn’t raised its admission prices since 2019 and has worked with food vendors to offer discounts.
Now the fair association is concerned a shortened planning period could actually cost more.
Tense discussions
Benton County owns the fairgrounds in Kennewick and has contracted for years with the nonprofit Benton-Franklin Fair Association to organize the event. Franklin County contributes money to be a co-sponsor.
In recent years, Benton County commissioners have worked to update the facilities with a major upgrade to the rodeo side expected to kick off now that the 2025 fair wrapped up over the weekend.
Commissioners tried to address some of the concerns raised by the public and fair board before approving the contract this week. At a previous meeting, commissioners said that before they would consider the possibility of any potential outside partner, they wanted to see their staff present a business plan.
Commissioner Michael Alvarez clarified this week that the proposed business plan would be a contingency, and something the county should have had in place in the event the fair board dissolved or decided to move.
“That comprehensive business plan, it’s not there to go and take over the fair at all,” he said. “It’s there because we didn’t have one in place, and we should have ... “
The association runs a pretty lean operation, with $3.9 million in revenue in 2024 and $3.8 million in costs, the fair’s paid executive director Lori Lancaster told the Herald.
While the county can view the fair association’s tax returns because they’re a nonprofit, they’ve recently took the unusual step of asking for a full financial accounting to help with the proposed business plan.
The fair board relies on more than 500 volunteers and gives out tens of thousands in scholarships, grants and donations each year. A for-profit business generally cannot legally use unpaid volunteers.
Lancaster said that the association wants to see the fairgrounds succeed as a year-round venue, but it hopes the county will give them a seat at the table before making some of the drastic changes proposed.
Lancaster said the county could be hard-pressed to find a vendor who could put on such a complex event at the same scale, with lower costs.
Alvarez said he’s met with fair board members several times over coffee and has asked county staff to address concerns.
Benton County Deputy Administrator Matt Rasmussen told the Herald in an email that the county will continue to work with the fair association, and said that they always try to talk to them about their plans and listen to their concerns, which is not something that is done for other tenants.
Commissioner Jerome Delvin also said he was disappointed with the fair board after an announcer at the rodeo last week told the crowd that this was potentially their last year at the fair.
“That kind of stuff doesn’t help the relationship, it really doesn’t,” he said.
Contract changes
The county’s new contract with the fair will see quite a few changes.
Instead of the fair’s standard 6 weeks of preparation and takedown, the association will have four weeks, but Rasmussen said the contract allows them to request more time if necessary.
Rasmussen told commissioners that the contract also allows an extra two weeks for livestock cleanup.
“If we can do another event or two out there in the summer and it doesnt impact their ability to start setting up, we do want to do that,” he said.
They’re also asking the fair to contribute $30,000 per year to improvements. The fair association was already voluntarily kicking in funds for various improvements, but the new contract makes it part of their lease agreement.
Rasmussen said they’ve discussed with the fair board where that money could be best spent.
The fair board will lose its office building at the fairgrounds so that the county can convert it into a central office for the property.
Alvarez said they’ve offered the fair board use of a building next to the rodeo grounds, so they won’t need to bring in a trailer for a temporary office.
The primary reason for the changes seems to be the county’s need to navigate growing the property into a truly year-round venue.
“As you can imagine that is prime time for outdoor events. We do have provisions to allow for early and late access to the grounds and will work with the association to accommodate that when we don’t have conflicts,” Rasmussen told the Herald. “The goal for the property is to upgrade and improve the facilities to attract year-round entertainment to the community. We always keep the fair in mind when making changes to the property and we feel that the improvements enhance that event.”
The rodeo upgrades should be done before next year’s fair, and will double the seating at the arena. While the county has scrapped plans for the rest of the fairgrounds, commissioners have continued to discuss ideas such as turning the concert area into a true amphitheatre.
The new contract is for a five-year term, so while the county and fair aren’t likely to break up any time soon, the future of the fair could look very different by 2030.
Costs to run the fair
It takes hundreds of volunteers and dozens of community partners to put on the fair each year. Weeks of work are needed to prepare the fairgrounds for the five-day event, which drew more than 123,000 people last year.
The new contract, which requires the fair board to cut back the amount of time the fair association leases the grounds before and after the event, but keeps the cost the same.
Lancaster said that would effectively double their costs to rent the grounds, since they’ll have to do the same amount of work in half the time. That would probably also require more volunteers working longer hours at traditionally the hottest time of year.
The county has argued that’s the market rate of about $11,000 per day, but that would be the going rate for a private event that isn’t likely to book out property for more than a month.
Commissioners also pointed out that despite the shorter time period, this renewal would make 10 years without an increase to the primary rental fees.
Lancaster said that as prices rise for everyone else, the same has been true for the fair. They’re now paying three times more for entertainers and musicians, without an increase in gate prices.
Food prices
Another big point of pain has been the cost of food at the fair. It’s not something the fair association can control, but they say they have worked with vendors to ensure deals are available.
Commissioners kicked around the idea of a flat $35 to $45 daily fee for vendors, saying food truck owners complained the fair charged more than they paid at a food truck park.
Lancaster said that’s not a good comparison, pointing out the massive scale of the crowds. Food vendors currently pay a flat rate plus a percentage of their gross in order to cover the costs of electricity, water and garbage disposal. She said garbage disposal costs are the biggest portion.
The sliding scale means vendors doing more volume pay a fair share. Trying to set a low, flat fee would mean either the fair or the county would have to pay to cover costs for the businesses.
While commissioners have continued to express a desire to see costs lowered for attendees, they have acknowledged that the annual cost to run the fairgrounds comes out to an estimated $200,000 loss.
Franklin County commissioners also have complained about vendors at the fair being subject to food inspections, which the fair association does not have authority over. Because Franklin County is not a partner in the fair, just a sponsor, they aren’t involved in the contract negotiations.
Franklin County Commissioner Rocky Mullen owns a business that operates multiple food stands, and could potentially stand to benefit from a reduction in costs or regulations.
Ticket price comparisons
While some have argued that other fairs are cheaper, costs at similar-size fairs are relatively similar across Washington and Idaho, according to information on their websites.
Daily adult admission is $10 to $20 for most mid-size fairs in the region, and all-day carnival wristbands range from $30 to $40.
Concert tickets vary based on how much the acts are charging for their performance, but general admission to the entertainment comes free with fair attendance in the Tri-Cities.
Gate prices are the same as the Washington State Fair, though day passes for unlimited carnival ride are up to $25 cheaper in the Tri-Cities.
Prices are the same for gate admission and roughly the same for ride passes at the Evergreen State Fair in Monroe and the Central Washington State Fair in Yakima.
The Clark County fair and Southwest Washington Fair, in Centralia, are both a few dollars cheaper, according to their website.
It’s unclear how much those counties contribute to the overall costs of the fair, or if they supplement pricing.
Commissioner Will McKay reiterated that he would appreciate it if the fair board could look into ways to lower overall attendance costs. He felt like the sweet spot would be $20 to $30 for an all-day ride wristband.
What the fair does for the community
For 77 years the Benton Franklin Fair has given back to the community and helped promote agriculture and livestock in the region, say organizers.
Lancaster said they’re the only fair in the state with a livestock program that is actually growing. Local youth and 4H students earned more than $1.45 million selling livestock at last year’s market.
Meanwhile other nonprofit and service groups with booths set up at the fair earned nearly $200,000 to help support their causes.
Fair numbers in 2024
- 163 jobs created
- 500+ volunteers
- $11,942 donated to cancer care
- $286,025 in prize money to event winners
- $4,400 in Gale Grant Awards
- $10,000 in scholarships
- 5,000 Literacy Awards
- 8,956 items entered into exhibits
- 1,979 people participateing in the parade
This story was originally published August 26, 2025 at 11:47 AM.
