Legislation

One of the most important functions of the WSFA has been to act as the representative of Fairs to the Legislature of Washington State.

Each Fair is encouraged to have an active Legislative Committee or assigned persons to work closely with the WSFA.

2021 FAIRS ECONOMIC IMPACT STUDY

The Washington State Department of Agriculture contracted with Community Attributes, Inc.(CAI), to complete an economic analysis of Washington’s Fairs. The most recent analysis had been completed in 2007 and the department felt it was important to gain a more recent analysis.
Throughout 2021, CAI reached out to all 69 agricultural fairs in Washington State requesting information to help them develop their report. Considering the impacts from COVID-19 to our state in 2020, all data included in this report is from 2019.
We are pleased to present this report and encourage you to read through it and gain a better understanding of all that our state’s fairs bring to not only their local communities but our state as a whole.

This study found that in 2019:
• More than 3.3 million people attended Washington’s agricultural fairs to view the latest trends in farming equipment, exhibit livestock and produce, enjoy the thrills of amusements, rides, music, and vendors.
• 68,000 exhibitors from across Washington and out-of-state participated in Washington’s fairs and shared their skills with others, connected with the public, and advertised for their businesses.
• 5,600 volunteers gave more than 136,000 hours of time to the community, representing an estimated value of $4.5 million.

Always keep your local legislators up to date on your Fair, both good and bad... and this year we know it was mostly bad!

To find your legislators, click here: http://app.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/

To find their email addresses, click here: http://app.leg.wa.gov/MemberEmail/Default.aspx

You may also leave a message via telephone at: 1.800.562.6000.

Fairs - Washington’s Largest Classroom

Four learning goals provide the foundation for the development of all academic learning standards in Washington state:

Read with comprehension, write effectively, and communicate successfully in a variety of ways and settings and with a variety of audiences;
Know and apply the core concepts and principles of mathematics; social, physical, and life sciences; civics and history, including different cultures and participation in representative government; geography; arts; and health and fitness;
Think analytically, logically, and creatively, and to integrate technology literacy and fluency as well as different experiences and knowledge to form reasoned judgments and solve problems; and
Understand the importance of work and finance and how performance, effort, and decisions directly affect future career and educational opportunities.

ALL of these Common Core Goals are utilized and expanded upon by the youth exhibitor at Washington State Fairs!

Contacting Your Legislator

When making contacts, Legislators are interested in the following information. Please have it ready when you contact them.

Fair Funds percentage to overall budget. What is it used for?
Economic impact on fair users/service groups.
Economic impact on the fair & Community from the loss of 2020 Fair Season.
Percentage of Youth as participants *especially important to county fairs".
Employment numbers, not only directly with fair but also ripple affect.