While vendors at the Dutchess County Fair hoped to sell things like french fries, wool sweaters and fried Twinkies, tourism officials used the fair to sell Rhinebeck.
“We”™re hoping (fair-goers) see Rhinebeck and say, ”˜Oh what a cute little town, why don”™t we come back,”™” said Susan Linn, executive director of the Rhinebeck Chamber of Commerce.
Although fair officials did not have an exact number of visitors for the six-day event as of press time, Linn estimated it could have brought up to a half-million people to the storied fair.
Linn said for the most part, people who come to the fair are there for the fair itself ”“ 163 years running ”“ and don”™t often come into the village and spend money at local businesses.
But, she said people who come to the fair from out of town often are drawn back to the area at a later time, such as for viewing the fall foliage or for apple picking.
Linn said the fairgrounds are hosting several events in the fall that are expected to draw a good amount of people into the village, including a food and wine festival and sheep and wool festival.
She praised fairgrounds General Manager Bob Grems, in his first year in that job, for bringing those types of events to the area.
“I think the fairgrounds have been underutilized in the past and he”™s trying to change that,” she said.
Grems agreed with Linn”™s assessment that the fair is a good opportunity to sell the village”™s charms.
“Just being exposed to Rhinebeck, I know (fair-goers) will come back,” he said. “Even if it doesn”™t generate a lot of revenue for local merchants on this visit, we”™ll get them the next time around.”
Grems said the future fall events at the fairgrounds, such as the food and wine festival, were promoted at the fair, with the hope of drawing repeat visitors.
Though exact numbers weren”™t available last week, Grems said by many rough estimates the fair”™s drawing power exceeded expectations.
“I talked to a vendor we”™ve had for 25 years, for example, and he said on Wednesday it was the biggest crowd he”™d ever seen on a weekday,” said Grems. “Many vendors said the weekday numbers were more like typical weekend numbers.”
Even if most fair-goers don”™t venture into the village for dinner or lodging, the event is still good for local business, he said.
“People stop and buy gas, they might get a grocery item or two,” he said.
Jessica Baga, public relations and marketing director for local restaurant Terrapin, said business actually decreased during the week of the fair, a response typical of many of the local eateries surveyed.
She said that”™s because most people coming to the fair are there to eat fair food, and village residents don”™t go out that much during the fair because they know how crowded traffic in the village will be.
“One of the major attractions is the food booths,” she said. “By the end of the day people are tired and they”™re filled with fair food.”
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She said the restaurant does exceptionally well in the autumn, when many visitors come back to Rhinebeck for various fall activities.
Rhinebeck, and the whole Hudson Valley, is a big attraction in the fall,” she said.
For the first time, Dutchess County Tourism had a booth at the fair and handed travel guides to entice tourists to come back not only to Rhinebeck but to the county as a whole.
Dutchess County Tourism Director Mary Kay Vrba said the origination handed out more than 2,000 travel guides during the fair.
“We look at it as a real opportunity to market to repeat visitors,” said Vrba. “Individuals who are not familiar with the area may not be aware of what”™s going on, and we touch base with that market.”
The travel guides include information on Dutchess County”™s historic sites, public parkland, apple picking and various fall events.
“I”™d say the fall season accounts for more than 50 percent of our tourism market,” said Vrba.
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