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Date: 6/29/2020
WEST SPRINGFIELD – The 2020 Eastern States Exposition, more commonly referred to as the Big E, has been cancelled due to public safety concerns surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.
The decision was announced on the evening of June 29 via a video message and public statement from Big E President Gene Cassidy. Cassidy called the message “a difficult one to share,” and said “this decision was not made lightly.” He continued, “In fact, it was one of the most difficult decisions that we, as an organization, have had to make in modern times.”
Cassidy said he, too, shared in the feeling of disappointment felt by all who had been anticipating this year’s fair. However, he said ultimately, the Big E staff knew the cancellation was the right decision and was made in order to protect the hundreds of thousands of people that attended the fair each year.
“We feel your disappointment, and we feel it deeply. This decision was difficult and complex,” he said. “But we all know in our hearts that this is the right thing to do for the health and safety of the 1.6 million people who support us each year.”
Cassidy explained that while the decision was difficult, this is not the first time in the fair’s 104-year history the decision has been made to cancel the fair.
“There is precedent in the exposition’s 104-year history when the fair was put on hold during WWI and the five years of WWII,” he said. “We’ve made it through these difficult times and we’ve also made it through the flood of ’36, the hurricane of ’38 and 9/11, and together, we’ll get through this unprecedented time as well.”
He also explained that the Big E staff had been working diligently for months, attempting to find a way to safely host the fair, but had been unable to come up with a solution that would preserve the Big E experience. “Despite exploring all of our options and planning extensively, we realized the Big E experience that everyone has come to know and love just wouldn’t be the same,” he said.
“Imagine a fair without 4H and FFA youth, or the excitement of the Big E parades, the thrill of the rides, the spectacle of the circus and the fabulous music and entertainment,” he said.
Prior to announcing the cancellation, Cassidy told Reminder Publishing the decision to cancel the fair rested on several factors. The first being the acceptance of a public safety plan submitted to West Springfield officials last week. Had the draft been accepted or modified to the satisfaction of both parties, Cassidy would have moved forward with contractual obligations in early July.
Cassidy held off on making an official decision until about two months prior to the scheduled start date of the fair. This, he said, was also due to the ever-changing nature of the coronavirus.
“Every day the intelligence changes,” he said to Reminder Publishing on June 25. He added, “It’s way too much time from July 10 to Sept. 10. It is a time of calculated risk. We constantly are taking the temperature of what is happening around us.”
For Cassidy, the first of two main concerns when making the choice to cancel the fair were first and most important: the safety of employees, vendors and guests. The second was how a cancellation of the Big E would affect the local economy still reeling from layoff and business closings due to the pandemic.
Cassidy spoke several days after delivering the draft safety plan.
He pointed out the Big E is the fifth largest fair in the U.S., which drew 1.6 million people last year. That resulted in an economic impact of almost $750 million. It is a major contributor to the hospitality industry in the region and Cassidy said, “It is the biggest driver of the economy out here.”
Unlike smaller fairs in the area that have cancelled, the Big E does not receive any state funding.
“We’ve never received a penny from the state,” Cassidy said.
A non-profit organization, the Eastern States paid and contributed $1.5 million to the town of West Springfield in 2019. The fair also helps support a wide variety of town activities, as well.
In addition to supporting the local and state economy, the Big E also provides an avenue for entrepreneurs to sell their products and goods. In the cancellation announcement, Cassidy cited that “literally hundreds of mom and pop operations, husbands and wives, crafters, concessioners are all depending on the Eastern States for their livelihood.”
“It’s crushing to them, and it’s crushing to me,” he said.
He also explained the Big E is not an event that has been cited within Gov. Charlie Baker’s plan of four phases for the reopening of businesses. He explained that about seven weeks ago he formed a COVID-19 resiliency team made up of some of the fair’s trustees, including medical professionals, as well as Jeanne Galloway, the director of health for West Springfield. Also part of the committee is a representative for Baker.
Cassidy said the public safety plan was not only a product of the committee but also was representative of best practices from fairs around the world. Cassidy is part of an international association that represents the industry, which meets by telephone regularly.
In the weeks leading up to the fair’s cancellation, several West Springfield city councilors had been pushing to learn of the fair’s plans and Cassidy noted he had already been involved with a discussion with officials. On June 18 Mayor William Reichelt was among the officials signing a letter formally asking for information and the fair’s plans.
Weighing heavily on Cassidy was the domino effect a cancellation would have. He noted, “My job is to produce a fair. Agriculturalists are depending on us to create markets.”
He added that 4-H and Future Farmers of America programs would also be negatively affected by the cancellation. He asserted it’s easy for many people to discount the agricultural section because they are so far removed from it.
While Cassidy said the decision was disappointing, he said the Big E staff was focused on moving forward. “We care for each and every one of you, and it’s our job to help make the best memories possible and because of that we must now switch our focus to the future,” he said.
Cassidy ended his announcement about the cancellation thanking Big E patrons for the previous and continued support, and said he was looking forward to the 2021 Big E. “We’ll see you come Sept. 17 and October 3, 2021, when we can all celebrate together again,” he said.
Prior to the announcement, Cassidy anticipated that performers scheduled for performances in the Xfinity stage would “very, very likely” be cancelled. Those who had purchased tickets for the anticipated Sept. 20 Zach Williams concert will be refunded in full. Those who already bought tickets and passes can expect to be contacted by the Big E Box Office in the coming weeks.
Reichelt said while the economic impact of the fair’s closure will be felt regionally, the town had previously developed a plan while putting together their fiscal budget to minimize the impact locally.
“We’ve had a plan for a downturn in local revenues, we took that into consideration when creating the local budget,” he said. “It will have an impact on the region and local business, but we planned for the impact it will have on our budget already.”
Reichelt said, “if there is a silver lining” to the fair’s cancellation, it is that construction on the Morgan-Sullivan Bridge will be able to continue over the 15-days the Big E was scheduled to take place. He said had the fair gone on as planned, construction was scheduled to be stopped during the 15-day timeframe.
“With the decrease in traffic they’ve made some great progress, they’ll already be done a year ahead of time,” he said. “Now they won’t have to stop for 15-days, maybe they’ll shave a month or two off.”
While he couldn’t confirm any additional events, Reichelt said he believed the Big E was seeking to host more events such as the drive-thru Taste of the Big E. The drive-thru event allowed people from around Western Massachusetts to come to the fairgrounds to sample cuisine from food trucks and purchase the fair’s infamous cream puffs. The event generated hours-long traffic on Memorial Avenue for a significant portion of the day the event was hosted.
Reichelt said Big E organizers “mentioned they wanted to do other things,” and that “last weekend’s turnout shows people are willing to come.” However, he added that the town and the Big E have already been in contact to address future traffic issues that may arise with additional events. “We have already talked to the Big E to say we need to work together to improve traffic more,” he said. “We can’t have Memorial Avenue gridlocked like that.”