Vendors strained after Butler Fair cancellation

The last time the Big Butler Fair in Butler County was canceled, the country was at war with itself.

Now, as a global pandemic wages a new type of war on summer plans, the fair’s gates will remain closed, shuttering tradition and threatening the event’s vendors, whose livelihoods depend on long lines of hungry guests waiting for lemonades and hot dogs.

The Butler Agriculture Association, which runs the fair, announced on May 15 that the 165th fair wouldn’t happen this year.

“It wasn’t unanimous,” said Ben Roenigk, the association’s vice president. “I said to [the board], ‘Surely to God, guys, this isn’t as bad as the Civil War.’ Now that it’s played out, I can see that it wouldn’t have worked anyway.”

Like the rest of Western Pennsylvania, Butler County is in the green phase, but by late June, the number of COVID-19 cases in the county had topped 300.

“It’s a bummer,” Mr. Roenigk said. “… Christmas and the fair are the two things you look forward to in the year. I never thought I’d see something like this as long as I was living.”

The cancellation poses a threat to the businesses that count on the fair.

Patty “Crabby Patty” Tessari hasn’t missed the Big Butler Fair in 45 years. She runs Layton’s Concession, where she serves up breakfast, lunch and dinner. Her concession trailer runs the gamut of fair food favorites: hot dogs, hamburgers, french fries, sausages and — true to her nickname — crab cakes.

Ms. Tessari grew up going to the fair with her parents, who also had run a concession stand at the fair. Ms. Tessari merged her own stand with her parents’ in 2010.

In a typical year, visitors can find Layton’s Concession at over 15 events in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Ohio. This year, all but three of them have been canceled.

“And that’s so far,” Ms. Tessari added. “I don’t know if those last three are going to hold out or not.”

Among the three events Ms. Tessari referenced was the Butler Farm Show, which was scheduled to begin Aug. 10. On Thursday, that, too, was canceled.

John Koutousaris, better known as “John The Greek,” has been slinging gyros at the Big Butler Fair since 1978. This will be the first time in 42 years he can’t attend.

Mr. Koutousaris typically starts in May, works the fair circuit across the state and then heads south to the Carolinas for other events, which have also been canceled this year.

In an effort to drum up some business, Mr. Koutousaris — along with three other vendors — set up

their concessions in a parking lot down the street from the fairgrounds.

The turnout has been pretty good but won’t make up for the business lost by the cancellation of the fairs.

“What we lost, we ain’t gonna get back,” Mr. Koutousaris said.

Ms. Tessari said that she can’t set up the way other vendors — like Mr. Koutousaris — can, as she needs to connect to water and electricity.

“I’m not self-sustainable in order to set up like [other vendors]; some food trucks are, but I’m considered a lunch stand,” she said. “I’m just lucky that my food trailer is paid for. I know some shows out there that are selling their trailers because they can’t make the payments.”

The effects from the cancellations go beyond just the vendors, Ms. Tessari said. She tries to get all of her supplies from local shops. Since she hasn’t needed any supplies, those local stores also have been losing business.

Another consequence of the fair being canceled is that the county has seen a drop in its tourism.

Jack Cohen, president of the Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau, said the fair is the secondlargest tourist event for Butler County, right behind Jeep Fest.

“The economic impact for those events are in the millions, and obviously that’s affecting us,” said Mr. Cohen.

Visits to the county are around 90% lower for 2020 than they were in 2019, he said.

Despite the drop, Mr. Cohen said the tourism bureau is optimistic about the future.

“Once we know that we can, we are prepared to welcome people in,” Mr. Cohen said. “This health issue is more important; we need to protect our families.”

The fair, which coincides with the Fourth of July every year, is scheduled to run next year from July 2 to 10.

So far, events scheduled for later in the year like the Parts A Rama swap meet in September have not been canceled.

“Financially, it’s a hit, but it’s not a huge hit,” Mr. Roenigk said. “We should roll right open next year. Hopefully this is all behind us by then.”