Fair Admission: A Pricey Puzzle for Metra

I'm probably not going to have a chance to go to the fair again this year. In fact, I haven't been there since my kids have grown up, but I could still tell you where everything is located because it doesn't change much. It always amazes me where all of those people you see at the fair hide out the rest of the year. You never see them anywhere else.

Today at the fair, it's Senior Day. All seniors 65 and older will get in free all day. That's noble, but it will not have the impact that a free all-Yellowstone County resident day would have. Not many 65-year-olds are going to be getting a wristband and riding the rides. Not many will be playing the hoop shoot games either. Maybe a little food revenue, but that's about it.

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You can get a 4-pack of admissions for 30 bucks tonight, so that will help, but all of that gate revenue would be spent anyway while at the fair. That's why the more people you get there, the better. That $12 adult admission fee would be left there anyway. It will be interesting to see this year's fair totals and if inflation will have an impact on revenue.

This is one of the biggest revenue raisers for Metra, and they need it since they operate in negative territory every year. Even with a paid-for facility, we still need to throw tax dollars at it. It's pretty simple math: more people will mean more dollars, and if they want them to come more than once—or at all—they have to reinvent their admission policy.

See ya tomorrow at 5.