TYLER, Texas — With potential heavy rains forecast for the upcoming weekend, those planning to attend the opening weekend of the East Texas State Fair might be questioning the weather's possible impact on the event.
"We do our best to keep the party going no matter what," Director of Marketing Cody Rosenbalm said.
According to the fair's website, each year the fair attracts more than 250,000 visitors over its 10-day operation.
"Really the deciding factor is when you involve lightning," Rosenbalm said. "Once we have lightning on the fairgrounds, then we’ll start to shut things down. But if it’s raining, there’s so much stuff that happens in inside buildings and under covers. So, we keep it going in the rain.”
The indoor fun includes live music, exhibits, arts & crafts activities and shows.
In June, organizers announced Aaron Watson would serve as a headliner for the fair's concert series. Legendary rock star Bret Michaels and Lindale's Chris Colston are also in this year's music lineup.
"Discovery Texas is a 20,000 square foot building that's full of entertainment, education, some shopping," Rosenbalm said. "The Summit Tent is a huge tent that has a stage under it. There’s going to be live music, magicians. We’ll have the bar open. The Craft Beer Tour is also inside. You can sit in there, watch the game, try a bunch of craft beers. "
Rosenbalm says weather is always a topic of discussion during the planning and preparation stages months in advance of the fair's start.
"Last year, we basically lost the whole first weekend to rain, and that is a big loss for the fair. But if it's the first weekend, then it's something that we can make up throughout the rest of the weekend, the next weekend."
Each year, the fair brings an estimated economic impact of $9.8 million to the City of Tyler and Smith County. Since 1992, the fair has given over $825,000 in academic scholarships to local youth.
"It's not just the business that we bring in, as far as, hotels, restaurants and things like that, but also the jobs that are created here and the fundraisers that happen as a part of the fair, as well," Rosenbalm explained.
In the case of inclement weather, he says the fair has rain insurance to cover some of the large events like the Saturday nigh concerts. However, if the fair is a complete washout, there may be a chance for a rain check for fair goers with unused tickets.
"If it comes to a point where rain becomes a major problem, and there’s a lot of people that have purchased tickets that aren’t able to be redeemed," Rosenbalm said. "Say if it were to rain out the whole ten days, then that’s a management decision that’s based on the circumstances."
Rosenbalm says fair organizers are sure to post weather-related updates on social media for interested visitors.
He also says that if weather becomes severe where it becomes a safety issue, there is protocol in place to have fair goers shelter in the Harvey Convention Center and other buildings on the grounds.