"If you only look at what is, you might never attain what could be." ~ Unknown
Fairs Year-round Information	F.Y.I. Volume 9, Issue 2 February 12, 1999

IN FOCUS

DAA’s PST fees drop to $3.50 per transaction, per month

One of the recommendations made in CFSA’s recently completed risk management study was to minimize the extent to which risk pooling fees support non-risk pooling "value-added" programs. In order for the PST (Part-time, Seasonal, Temporary employee retirement) program to be self-sufficient, it was going to be necessary for CFSA to increase its portion of the administrative fees for the pass-through benefits program from 50 cents to $1.25 per transaction, per month.

The good news is, CFSA successfully negotiated with the Department of Personnel Administration (DPA) to get them to reduce their portion of the PST fee. Now, instead of increasing the fee to $5.25, it was lowered to $3.50 per transaction, per month. DPA will receive $2.25, while CFSA will keep $1.25 per transaction, per month. If you have any questions about your fair’s fees, contact Martha Manriquez at 916/263-6148.

As the 1999 fair season begins to rev up, we’re getting close to wrapping up the total paid attendance tally for the 1998 fair season -- a season filled with success stories such as Inter-Mountain Fair CEO Dennis Hoffman’s. His community was so excited about the upcoming fair that the fair’s advance ticket sales were higher than its on-site sales. Over at CEO Randy Hatfield’s Del Norte County Fair, he attributes his fair’s increase in visitors to free grandstand entertainment, good promotions and great sponsors.

Here’s how things are adding up with 45 fairs reporting in with their 1998 total paid attendances:

1998: 6,824,206
1997: 5,763,441
Up: 1,060,765 +18.41%

In the market for a complete MicroVAX computer system? Then does the Antelope Valley Fair & Alfalfa Festival have a deal for you. The fair is no longer in need of its VAX system, so they are giving it away to any other state or government (county) agency that can use it. The fair’s only request is that you pay for shipping. The system includes:

• two LN03 laser printers
• three LA210 letter printers
• three working terminals, and eight or nine additional terminals that are repairable or that could be used for parts
• keyboards
• MicroVAX 3100
• Digital Scholar modem
• DEC server 300

For sale at cost

Two LN03 black toner cartridges and two LN03 maintenance kits (OPC kits) are also available, at cost, for $559.01 (they’re still in their original shipping packaging). For more information about any or all of the computer components, call Judy Arthur at Antelope Valley Fair & Alfalfa Festival, 661/948-6060, ext. 220.

Using information from Amusement Business magazine and numbers provided to F.Y.I., California’s top 10 1998 fairs, ranked by total paid attendance are:

1) Los Angeles County Fair - 1,251,951
2) Del Mar Fair - 1,164,360
3) California State Fair - 909,277
4) Orange County Fair - 723,061
5) Big Fresno Fair - 534,320
6) Kern County Fair - 431,516
7) Santa Clara County Fair - 350,124
8) Alameda County Fair - 269,777
9) Sonoma County Fair - 240,833
10) California Mid-State Fair - 220,154

A University of California at Irvine (UCI) Medical Center study projects that three million people will file workers’ compensation claims next year as a result of repetitive stress (RSI) injuries. Their employers’ bill for these injuries is estimated at $20 billion.

To head off injuries, UCI rehab services experts recommend employers keep a close eye on their employees’ work habits. Researchers claim the key to RSI injury prevention is good posture. In addition, they recommend monitoring each individual’s work flow, especially when there’s a lot of work to be done. If you have any questions about workstation ergonomics, lifting or other everyday situations where posture plays a role, call Tom Allen, safety administrator for CFSA’s Risk Management Group, at 916/263-6186.

Looking for durable, gouge-resistant indoor tables for this year’s fair and interim events? Talk to Karen Gallay, CFSA Purchasing, about Mity-Lite Tables. Once a year, Karen places a vendor-direct Mity-Lite Table order for all interested fairs, receiving in return, a volume purchase discount. The more tables purchased, the lower her price from the vendor.

To help you estimate the seating capabilities of different sized round and rectangle tables, Karen provided this chart:

Tables will be ordered March 29; for more information, call Karen at 916/263-6191.

This year’s Employee Right to Know posters, prepared by the California Chamber of Commerce, are now available for purchase. The set of two posters, available in English or Spanish, is $9.15. To order, or for more information, contact Karen at 916/263-6191.

F.Y.I. invites and encourages all fairs to contribute articles and article ideas for the Fair Exchange column. We’ll even write the article for you. For details, call Melissa Thurber at 916/263-6178.
To add F.Y.I. to your press release mailing list, send or fax releases to:

1776 Tribute Road, Suite 100
Sacramento, CA 95815
Attn: Melissa Thurber
Fax: 916/646-1238