Colorado State Fair in Pueblo (Denver, Colorado Springs: garden, agriculture, rail)

[McGowdog]

Well now you have. You can thank Joss for that.

I'd call it something besides jealousy myself. I'd call it big-brother-bullyism or something like that.

Sure Denver could take over the State Fair. But it would only look to overshadow the many events the Denver Metro has to offer. Namely and off the top of my head ;

Pro football, Elitches, Pro basketball, NHL, MLB, Taste of Colorado, Jefferson County Fair, Kinetics in Boulder, Bandemere Speedway, the Boat Show, the Stock Show, the Museums, the Mint, the Zoo, D1 area sports, soccer, huge concerts at Red Rocks Buell the Fillmore (or Rainbow?) Pepsi Center Investco Fiddler's Green... just to name a couple.

Oh, Denver CoSprings, Boulder, and FoCo also have something Pueblo will never have. Their own subforums on City-Data. Welcome to Southern Colorado subforums.

[Josseppie]

Originally Posted by LisaBoulder

Who specifically in Denver is crying about Pueblo having the fair? I haven't seen anything that proves or even hints at Denver being jealous or Pueblo.

When I say people in Denver are jealous that Pueblo has the state fair I am not referring to the average citizen who can care less because as Mcgowdog noted Denver has a lot more to do then Pueblo does. I am referring to some politicians and business leaders who have been trying to take the fair for over 100 years now for the reasons I posted about.

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by Josseppie

As far as the argument that Pueblo does not support the fair that is simply not true. Now yes we are just ending one of the worse recessions in my life and everyone has seen budget cuts and the fair is not exempt but even today they get about $300,000 in direct revenue from the city and county and even more in indirect from the chamber and citizens and companies of Pueblo. They started a fair foundation that gets money from Pueblo and in time hopes to make the fair even more profitable. I have donated thousands of dollars to the fair over the years and will continue to do so and I am not unique. So unlike what is the latest argument from Denver Pueblo does support the fair.

Not even $500K in local funding? That seems like small potatoes funding to me and not indicative of a lot of local support for an institution that needs tens, if not hundreds, of millions in capital improvement projects to remain a viable entity going into the future.

Or Pueblo just doesn't have the financial chops to do anything significant w/o significant subsidies from the state. Too bad.

[Josseppie]

Originally Posted by wong21fr

Not even $500K in local funding? That seems like small potatoes funding to me and not indicative of a lot of local support for an institution that needs tens, if not hundreds, of millions in capital improvement projects to remain a viable entity going into the future.

Or Pueblo just doesn't have the financial chops to do anything significant w/o significant subsidies from the state. Too bad.

That is direct funding and it's more if you count all the other things Pueblo does for the fair including the Pueblo Chamber and Latino chamber. It was more before the recession and I suspect the funding levels will go up once the recovery takes hold and revenues come back up for the city.

[Mike from back east]

Article today indicates the Colorado State Fair had an operating loss of $2.8 million for 2013 and has lost money for at least ten years in a row.

Meanwhile, the Texas State Fair is held in Dallas and allegedly brings $350M / year into the economy of Dallas.

[Josseppie]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Article today indicates the Colorado State Fair had an operating loss of $2.8 million for 2013 and has lost money for at least ten years in a row.

Meanwhile, the Texas State Fair is held in Dallas and allegedly brings $350M / year into the economy of Dallas.

Operating loss and how much money the fair brings to a Pueblo and Colorado are two different things.

This is what I found doing a Google search:

The Colorado State Fair currently generates nearly $34 million in economic activity within Colorado.

While most of that activity happens during Fair, $5 million in economic activity is generated during the Fair’s off season.

- See more at: The Pueblo Chieftain | Fair provides year-round benefits

Now granted it less then Texas then again the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex has over 6 million people and Texas has over 26 million people. So to compare Pueblo and Colorado to them is a joke at best.

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Article today indicates the Colorado State Fair had an operating loss of $2.8 million for 2013 and has lost money for at least ten years in a row.

Meanwhile, the Texas State Fair is held in Dallas and allegedly brings $350M / year into the economy of Dallas.

The more important and comparable number is that the Texas State Fair posted income of $6M in 2011 and $7M in 2012 and receives no state funding.

[Josseppie]

Originally Posted by wong21fr

The more important and comparable number is that the Texas State Fair posted income of $6M in 2011 and $7M in 2012 and receives no state funding.

Add 20 million people to Colorado and I bet the state fair here makes that much in revenue as well.

The better number is the economic impact to the state versus the money needed by the fair.

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by Josseppie

Add 20 million people to Colorado and I bet the state fair here makes that much in revenue as well.

The better number is the economic impact to the state versus the money needed by the fair.

Move the Fair to a major metropolitan area and I bet that it will make a profit and have a greater economic impact. But, it's a political pet project and more monies will continue to be sent down south to keep the Fair in Pueblo. At least until the GOP takes back the state legislature, then the wolves will start circling again.

But it will never be self-sustaining as long as it remains in Pueblo.

[Josseppie]

Originally Posted by wong21fr

Move the Fair to a major metropolitan area and I bet that it will make a profit and have a greater economic impact. But, it's a political pet project and more monies will continue to be sent down south to keep the Fair in Pueblo. At least until the GOP takes back the state legislature, then the wolves will start circling again.

But it will never be self-sustaining as long as it remains in Pueblo.

Never is a long time. This is another reason I am for Pueblo Springs because Pueblo at 500,000 people will have more spending money then Pueblo at 160,000 people.