Although it will not be possible to host a carnival at this year’s Park County Fair, organizers hope to throw a free evening concert with a beer garden, food vendors and possibly fireworks.

Details for the 2020 fair are still being developed, but the plan is to have three days of market livestock shows on July 22-24, with a schedule released later this week. The Junior Livestock Sale is set for Saturday, July 25, followed by an open air concert featuring local talent. Beyond that, not much activity is slated amid Wyoming’s ongoing restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 — and amid a county budget crunch.

On Monday, fair leaders told Park County commissioners that they expect to need roughly $10,500 to host the concert and meet sanitizing requirements. That drew initial skepticism from Commissioner Jake Fulkerson.

“So we’re down $2.2 million [and] we’re going to throw a $10,000 party in Powell?” Fulkerson asked, referring to a possible budget deficit faced by the county government.

However, fair leaders clarified that their rough cost included $4,000 worth of sanitizing materials that will be needed for the livestock shows anyway — and the concert might bring in $4,500 in revenue, largely from alcohol sales. That would pencil out to a roughly $1,500 or $2,000 loss for the concert, which Fulkerson said he was OK with.

“With the rest of fair being canceled, it’s just giving people an opportunity to do something,” said Commissioner Dossie Overfield. “Granted, it costs money, but … we’re absolutely a lot lower than we would be if we were
having a fair.”

Agreed Commission Chairman Joe Tilden, “The whole fair is a party for Park County. It does not make money; it costs us money to put on.”

Commissioners will make a final decision about the funding for the fair (along with the rest of the county budget) in the coming weeks.

Park County Fair Advisory Board Chairman Tiffany Brando said they’ve been told to expect a roughly 500-person cap on outdoor events by fair time, though that’s only a best guess from County Health Officer Dr. Aaron Billin. In anticipation of continuing restrictions — and with time running out to make preparations — the board had decided to scrap the fair’s grandstand events and most other activities last month.

However, Tony Guadagno, the owner of Carnival Midway Attractions that has served the fair for years, traveled from California to Powell last week to make the case that the carnival should go on.

At the fair board’s June 11 meeting, Guadagno said his company could take the needed safety precautions — and suggested a carnival could be a particularly big hit this year. He relayed word that a recent carnival in Oklahoma, operated by a different company, proved far more popular and profitable than normal.

“I see this being a success for you guys,” Guadagno told the board.

Park County does not pay Carnival Midway Attractions a fee to serve the fair and instead gets a cut of the profits, with it being one of the rare money-making attractions for the county. At the 2019 fair, Guadagno said the company grossed more than $152,000 and provided $22,500 to the county.

“That looks to increase this year,” Guadagno predicted.

Park County Events Administrator Audra Jewell also told the board that, “I get more calls about the carnival than anything else.” Among those who’ve called with questions, “nothing is more important than the carnival,” Jewell said.

Guadagno provided the board with a list of things that Carnival Midway Attractions would do to help minimize the risk of spreading the new coronavirus — including periodically cleaning and spraying down the rides, providing sanitizer stations, spacing out the midway, encouraging people to practice social distancing while in line and having customers sit in every other seat on bench rides. Guadagno also noted that people are much more crowded while shopping at places like Walmart, where they might be “all next to each other, back to back.”

However, some fair advisory board members remained unsure about the idea and it’s unclear whether the carnival would be able to generate a profit under the state’s public health restrictions. Currently, no more than 250 people are allowed to gather outside, which is significantly less than what the carnival would normally host during the fair.

If there was a limit of 300 people per day at the carnival, “I would guess we’d probably just not be able to come,” Guadagno told the board, saying that wouldn’t be enough volume to turn a profit.

Park County Buildings and Grounds Superintendent Mike Garza said the carnival could easily be split into different sections, “but how do you stop the crowds from intermingling?” he asked. “Logistically, it becomes a problem.”

Restricting people to a certain section of the carnival or only allowing them to stay for a certain amount of time could also prove problematic, Garza said.

Board member Shane Smith deadpanned that, if they were to call the fair “a riot,” then “we can have all the people we want,” apparently referring to protests around the country that were allowed to exceed the caps on large gatherings.

Fair leaders officially ruled out the idea of bringing in the carnival after meeting with Dr. Billin on Monday.

For Carnival Midway Attractions, Powell is an important stop, Jewell told the board, “because we’re the first one in Wyoming and it may impact the other fairs, as well as revenue for them [the company].” Guadagno said he had hoped to run carnivals in St. George, Cedar City and Parowan, Utah, before heading to Powell and moving on to Riverton, Afton and Evanston.

Guadagno did say that Carnival Midway Attractions would plan to return in 2021.

“You’ll be here next year,” board member Christi Muecke assured him.

The carnival has consistently received high marks for its operations, including from Powell police.