The Estevan Exhibition Association (EEA) had another busy year in 2018, and is looking forward to more activity this year.
The organization held its annual general meeting on Wednesday night at the exhibition building. Past-president Byron Stepp said it was a challenging year, because they completed a couple of much-needed project.
“We put in new power for all of our 4-H barns, which was a big expense,” said Stepp.
The exhibition association also proceeded with renovations to their building, which was an expensive decision, but one that has already paid dividends.
While it means more upkeep is needed for the hall, it’s great to see the building in demand.
“I think our next available weekend is September long, and the hall is booked solid (after that),” said Stepp.
There is more work needed in the building, such as upgrades to chairs. They have already approved a patio area for the building’s exterior.
The demand for the building has exceeded what they expected.
“I figured it would book a couple of weekends a month going forward,” he said. It used to be once every two or three months.”
People who are getting married are calling and looking for a weekend when they can get in, and Stepp said they’re being flexible with their dates because they really want the hall.
The exhibition association also held its two annual events last year, the fair in mid-June and the rodeo during the Labour Day long weekend. The fair was held over the course of two days instead of three, due to a decision by the midway provider, and while the total attendance was down from about 8,700 over three nights in 2017 to 7,200 for two nights in 2018, average daily attendance was up from 2,900 in 2017 to 3,600 in 2018.
“We were very, very fortunate to have two absolutely excellent days of weather, and at the end of the day, after you take the expenses away, those two days were more profitable for us than the three-day fair was,” said Stepp. “But it’s not a dead issue.
“We’re still working hard to get back to a three-day fair. We’re working hard to get away from the dates of final exams.”
The exhibition association has one more year with its current fair provider. The association is looking for a new provider or looking to leverage its current provider to make it a better fair for Estevan.
The 2019 fair is once again scheduled for two days, but the exhibition association hasn’t given up on three days.
Stepp would like to see the fair become an annual destination event for people.
The domestics show, hosted by the exhibition association in conjunction with the fair, was a popular event, and Stepp praised domestics show chair Tamera Huber for her work in making it grow.
The rodeo during the September long weekend went well. A kids’ rodeo and a wild horse race were new for this year and were deemed to be successes.
A rodeo cabaret was not well attended, but Stepp said they will try some new things for this year.
The Calamity Cowgirls trick rider group, which includes performers from southeast Saskatchewan and North Dakota, performed during both the fair and the rodeo.
It was also a trying year, as a couple of their dedicated volunteers, Darwin Dukart and George Poage, died during the year.
The demolition of the Civic Auditorium was also tough, as it served as the beer gardens for the fair, and was used as an indoor entertainment venue.
The executive for 2019 was also elected during the meeting. Stepp’s three-year term as president has wrapped up. Huber is moving into the role, while continuing to run the domestics show. Graham Collie is the first vice-president, Laura Mantei is the second vice-president and Stepp will be the past-president.
New to the board of directors are Crystal Ross and David Holtz.
Financial statements showed income was down a little, but their expenses were way down. There was a deficit of a few hundred dollars, but it’s a much better financial picture than the previous year.
“We’re not a board that wants to be making profits. We’re aboard that wants to be constantly improving our grounds and making them better accessible for our patrons, our members and of course the community,” said Stepp.
Stepp hopes the exhibition association can continue to grow, and give more opportunities to the youth of the community and grow the agriculture sector.
