'It's going to be as good as it ever was'

Longtime Rochester Fair General Manager Mark Perry, now back in a volunteer role, says this year's version will look more like fairs of the past rather than less. (Rochester Voice file photo)

ROCHESTER - Former Rochester Fair manager Mark Perry had some bold words this week about what the re-emergence of the venerable fair might look like this September.

"It's going to be as good as it ever was," he said on Monday. "It has to be, and I think we've got the people in place that can make that happen."

Last summer after 15 years as general manager Perry was either fired, let go, or resigned, depending on who you talk to, but Perry now says what happened last summer doesn't really matter as he takes over primary duties of bringing Rochester's premier annual event back from extinction.

What does matter is that he and other organizers put out the very best product they can.

"Absolutely, it's a high bar, people will expect as good a fair as they ever had, and it will be," he said.

The biggest challenge for the 143-year-old fair right now is time is already getting tight even though it's still five months away.

Perry, who is committed to bringing back the bus demolition derby, said usually by now, "we would have had all our buses purchased, but we're working to catch up," he said, adding that in the next couple of weeks he'll have a couple of announcements.

First and foremost among the challenges facing the fair's resurgence is a scarcity of funding, but he said fair directors are committed to bringing the fair back closer to what it was before rather than the scaled-down version former fair manager Vicky Poland had envisioned just a few short months ago.

"It's no secret there' no money," Perry said. "Everybody's volunteering; most of the staff is coming back for nothing."

Perry said there would be a midway, there would be rides and even didn't rule out a return of the circus, which had been a staple the past several years prior to 2017.

"Vendors tend to move on; even after just a year it's going to be a challenge to get them back through the gate, but we have a good board that is interested in reviving this thing and we're going to give it a whirl," Perry said.

One of the biggest changes the public will notice is the fair, which will run from Sept. 6-16, will be shut down Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday between the two weekends.

"That's something you don't see in New England, but the fact of the matter is the fairgrounds aren't that big," he said, adding they need the two weekends to try to make ends meet.

He also added that the weather plays an important role in using two weekends since if you had rain on your only weekend it could a disaster financially.

Perry said they are also looking at adding exhibits like possibly draft horses, which he said are very impressive to watch, and continuing with the fair's longstanding tradition of awarding cash prizes for ribbon winning livestock, agriculture, arts and crafts.

"Most of our friends are on board: vendors, hawkers, staff, and we'll have some new friends, too, but I'm not going to tip my hat as to which ones, and there will be some new ones," Perry said. "It's a work in progress."

Perry said wanting to keep the fair going is just part of his DNA.

"Well it's good to keep that tradition going, we can't keep ending traditions in this country," he said. "The Rochester Fair has to be kept going. That's what it's all about."

Asked what his title is, he quipped, "I'm just a guy helping out. I was never hung up on titles. It's all about today.

"Take care of our loyal customers who supported us all these years. We want them to come back and be impressed with what we've done and move forward like it never even happened."