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Our View: Expo starts living up to promises Tuesday Sep 13, 2016 at 12:01 AM After years of limping from fair to fair, relying on loans from the county general fund to stay afloat, the Jackson County Expo is in the black and boasting a sizable cash reserve. If the strategy of adding non-fair events continues, there is every reason to believe the Expo could be on its way to long-term stability at last. The Jackson County Board of Commissioners have for years insisted the fairgrounds and its small staff become self-sufficient, and successive Fair Boards promised to do that. When the annual Jackson County Fair — the Expo's primary money-maker — was a success, that was possible, but just barely. July in the Rogue Valley can bring triple-digit temperatures, thunderstorms with heavy rain, or both, which plays havoc with attendance. Add to that the fact that the fair comes just after the start of the fiscal year July 1, and the event can resemble a carnival game stacked against the players. The Expo runs with a tiny staff most of the year, but must hire temporary employees to gear up for the fair before the end of the fiscal year when revenues are low. If the fair the year before didn't bring in enough income, the Expo had to ask the commissioners for a loan, to be repaid with fair proceeds. If the fair had a down year, the process became a vicious circle. A 2011 audit of Expo finances stretching back decades showed the operation was in the red every year from 1988 to 2010. The audit also found numerous irregularities, including poor record-keeping, a lack of vendor contracts and excessive free passes that ate into fair revenues. Three years ago, the commissioners agreed to forgive $314,305 in debt, allowing the Expo a fresh start. Last year, the county hired Helen Funk as Expo manager, with the charge of turning the operation around. Indications are she has succeeded where others failed. Trimming the fair from six days to five was one major step. Other fairs reported dropping a day did not significantly hurt attendance. Increasing carnival wrist-band prices also boosted income at this year's fair. Funk's long-term plan is to expand the number of events held at the Expo, but not manage all of them in-house, building a steady stream of income from renting out the grounds as well as running the usual events that include and annual rodeo and the Harvest Fair. The goal is to stop relying on the county fair as the one event that makes or breaks the budget. One of those new outside events is the West Coast Country Music Festival, which will relocate from the south coast next summer, bringing superstars including Keith Urban to the Rogue Valley. The Expo is a valuable asset to the entire area, and seeing it succeed financially is good news indeed.