By Bill Sherman

ALTAMONT – Great weather and doubling the amount of direct mail helped increase the Altamont Fair attendance by 14,000 over last year’s figure. Total attendance over six days reached 92,251 said Marie McMillen, vice president of the fair’s board of directors.

Counting attendance at the fair is sometimes difficult because many people, including children under 12 and veterans, are admitted free of charge.

In 2004, total attendance was set at 78,184, including approximately 31,000 paid admissions. McMillen said the paid attendance for this year increased by 4,000, which would set the paid figure at about 35,000.
McMillen attributed the increase in attendance largely to "wonderful weather." Despite rain on opening day, the weather cooperated the entire week, she said. Even the intense heat subsided just in time for the latest edition of the summertime tradition, which has been held in Altamont since 1893.

McMillen said the fair’s board of directors sent out 60,000 pieces of direct mail to specifically selected ZIP codes in order to better market the fair. In 2004 the board sent out 30,000 pieces which resulted in a significant return on their investment. McMillen said the board is able to gauge its direct marketing success by tracking the admission coupons given at the gates. It is too early to determine how effective doubling direct mail was on attendance.

Several changes that were implemented in the off season could have also affected the attendance figures, McMillen surmised. Capital improvements totaling $450,000 and better planning were areas of focus this year.

In May, the fair announced the construction of a new cattle barn, the renovation of the Fine Arts building, newly paved entrance roads, and improvements to parking areas.

Security

In January, the board established a fair-management committee that met once a week leading up to the August event. One area that received the committee’s attention was security.
Altamont public safety commissioner, Tony Salerno, applauded the efforts of the fair’s leadership saying, "They all did a great job. We have a very good working relationship."

Salerno said the number of arrests at the fair were down significantly. Only five arrests were made in connection with the fair. (See Blotters and Dockets.) Salerno attributes the lower arrests to a stronger police and security presence.
Salerno asked the officers from the Albany County Sheriff’s Department, the State Police, and the State Department of Environmental Conservation, all of whom had booths at the fair, to perform a "walk through" of the fairgrounds each hour. This presence supplemented the fair’s private security company, the Altamont police, and a private security detail hired by Salerno.
Salerno said he also heard from many community members about problems during past years. "I gave 100 percent of my attention to those issues," Salerno said. He was pleased the community members reached out to him.

The concerns from the community included traffic congestion, littering, and people walking across private lawns. To help with parking and traffic Salerno said he worked with fair parking manager Paul Hemstead.
"Paul did a great job," Salerno said. Together, they changed the traffic pattern of people entering the fair.
"Once the first lot off Main Street became backed up, we sent the traffic to the fifth lot off the Voorheesville-Altamont Road," Salerno explained. The new public safety commissioner said he was motivated to make the fair a positive experience for everyone because the event is important to the community and the region’s children.

Looking ahead

McMillen said she hopes the attendance continues to grow each year. Plans are already being made for next year’s capital projects. The board is looking into replacing a number of the roofs on various buildings. McMillen said the fair also need a volunteer grant writer to help with applications for state aid to support the construction of a paved walkway throughout the fairgrounds. The walkway would make the fair more accessible to people in wheelchairs, McMillen said.

The board is also interested in adding a new wood floor in the Fine Arts building. Board members hope to increase the use of the fairgrounds throughout the year. McMillen said with a new floor in the Fine Arts building, there is a possibility of luring weddings and other special events which could add stability to the organization’s finances, McMillen said.
While the gate receipts were up from last year, and, said McMillen, "we are paying our bills," the board wants to do everything it can to move the fair forward. For now, the financial status is stable.
"Right now everything is looking up. Of course you always want to do better," she concluded.