Anchorage Daily News

PALMER -- Let's see, $10 at the gate, $20 for grub, more for rides.

Then there's about $15 for round-trip gas from Anchorage, less if you take the bus, more if you take the train. The Alaska State Fair can cost you some serious George Washingtons.

With the economy down and prices up, will Alaskans see the fair that started Thursday as a close-to-home getaway -- a "staycation" -- justified by fat Permanent Fund Dividend checks coming next month?

Or will high gas prices and tight budgets prompt them to stay away?

The question split tamale vendor Rae Maness into two people: "the worried me and the optimistic me."

Maness this year raised the price of her plates of corn-meal tamales by $1 after her costs tripled for rice, sour cream and cheese.

She worries that people spooked by gas still in excess of $4.30 a gallon won't want to drive to the fair, much less pay to park and get in. She worries that higher food prices will put off those who do come.

"There's a point where people are going to quit paying it," Maness said. "I hope I'm wrong. I do think the PFD is going to help."

BANKING ON FAIR FANS

Off-duty Anchorage police officer John Glor waited for gates to open at noon Thursday with his 6-year-old daughter, Himali. Their plans centered mostly on rides, cotton candy, turkey legs and elephant ears.

No, the economy wasn't a big factor.

"It's just a once-a-year deal. We usually don't spend too much," Glor said. "If it was a once-a-month deal, we might end up skipping a few."

Fair officials are counting on just that attitude.

The fair is usually a priority for most families, and the economy probably won't change that, said Dean Phipps, the fair's marketing director. That said, Phipps is quick to add, fair officials get the fact that people are watching their wallets more closely than ever this summer.

To give fair-goers more bang for their bucks, officials this year opted to increase the number of events and activities that are free with the price of admission, he said.

Free daily bingo. Free music at a new Woodlot stage with local acts and tribute bands and also a new venue called Borealis Plaza, where after-concert events are tied to headliners such as Sean Kingston and Tracy Lawrence. Free grandstand events including a fair first: lawnmower races.

"We're trying to pay attention to value," said Phipps.

GOING ON A 'FAIRCATION'

The down economy could boost fair attendance if the experiences of some Lower 48 fairs are any indication.

The Iowa State Fair broke attendance records, with a preliminary count of more than 1.1 million people, said marketing director Lori Chappell.

The fair also created a new, unofficial world record for simultaneous corn-dog eating when 10,000 people took advantage of free admission -- and free deep-fried goodness -- the fair's first day.

Chappell credited great weather, new innovations to get people in the door and more free offerings for the fair's "fabulous" overall turnout.

But the economy factored in, too, she said. "There was a lot of talk about 'staycations'. Certainly that was the case here."

In Bangor, Maine, rainy weather and high gas prices combined for an estimated 10 percent drop in attendance, according to a report in the Bangor Daily News.

A run of ridiculously hot weather also put off attendance for much of the Delaware State Fair, but people spent more than usual per person, and attendance spiked when temperatures dropped, said general manager Bill DeMundy.

The fair took in record receipts of $2.1 million at grandstand shows, including Carrie Underwood, DeMundy said.

"That defuses the whole thing about the economy when people are digging deep into their pockets, buying sold-out shows at $60 or more per ticket," he said.

Find Zaz Hollander online at adn.com/contact/zhollander or call 907-352-6711.