May Fair Group Cancels Fourth of July Celebration (Poll)

The Dixon Tribune reports that the Friends of the May Fair have cancelled the Fourth of July Celebration at the May Fair grounds this year due to the costs of running the event.

Friend of the May Fair President Donnie Huffman told the Tribune that it costs the organization $20,000 or more to do the Fourth of July Celebration. However, the only revenue generated during the celebration came from the commercial vendors who rented booth space and the Demolition derby, which Huffman said never sold out.

Huffman said the Fourth of July Celebration was designed to give Dixonites somewhere fun to go for the holiday, free of charge. Another goal was to support local nonprofits. The May Fair never charged admission to its celebration and never charged the nonprofit agencies for booth space according to the Tribune's story.

He told the Tribune that the Friends of the May Fair didn't mind subsidizing the costs of running the fair, provided that they broke even. That never happened though, Huffman said, and the celebration had to be cancelled.

Now we put the question up to the readers of the Patch.

Would you mind paying admission to the Fourth of July Celebration? Should the nonprofit agencies have to pay for the booth space? What would entice you to come to the May Fair for the Fourth of July if not the Demolition Derby?

Editor's note: The Annual Fireworks show is not the same thing as the festival at the May Fair. The fireworks show is put on by Dixon Rotary Club and there are no plans to cancel this show.