The Benton Franklin Fair Association is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization which produces the annual Benton Franklin Fair & Horse Heaven Round-Up rodeo each August. The Fair Association is supported by year-round employees, a Board of Directors of 12, and more than 500 volunteers.
The Fair Association is proud of its role in the community, and is pleased to share with you the following highlights from 2024:
Community Involvement:
- 1,297 youth and adults entered 8,956 items in the Benton Franklin Fair. The Fair paid out $55,105 in prizes and cash to those exhibitors.
- The Market Stock Auction generated $1,454,425 for local 4-H, Grange and FFA members, making it the largest grossing youth livestock auction in the state.
- The Fair parade in downtown Kennewick drew 3,000 spectators and 1,979 participants.
- 242 participants competed in the cheerleading competition.
- 123,547 people attended the five-day Fair.
- Created space for live art demonstrations and a market for local makers, artists and entrepreneurs to showcase their wares.
- Supported community organizations and events with sponsorships and donations of $84,127 including: Columbia Basin Junior Livestock Show; Mariachi & More Festival; TRRC Boot Camp Sheep & Goat Clinic; Franklin County Cattleman’s Association; Basin City Freedom Rodeo.
- Invited 1,000 clients and families of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties to attend the My First Rodeo night at the Fair, providing rodeo and admission tickets for all.
Tourism & Economic Impact:
- 42 million households had the opportunity to view the Horse Heaven Round-Up broadcast live on the Cowboy Channel network.
- 163 people were employed directly by the Fair; hundreds more jobs were created by vendors and contractors at food booths, the carnival, and other entities.
- Ticket buyers from 41 states came to the Tri-Cities for the Fair.
- The economic output of the event in Benton County is more than $18.5 million, supporting local, stated and federal governments with $2.7 million in tax revenue.
Creating Healthy Communities:
- Tough Enough to Wear Pink: The Fair has donated more than $224,000 in the past 16 years for preventative care and treatment of breast cancer for residents of our community. The Fair partnered with the Benton County Sheriff’s office on a pink patch to raise awareness.
- Nonprofits, service clubs and community organizations earned $194,649 at the Fair to further their missions of giving back to the community.
- American Red Cross Blood Drives: Hosted two blood drives and collected 123 units of blood. The Fair provided $14,500 in incentive packages to bring new donors to the program.
- Distributed 1,845 wristbands for the Safe Kids program with partner Benton REA.
- Provided free rides for 24,214 to the Fair via Ben Franklin Transit with partner CPPCo.
- Donated 40 free Fair tickets to August graduates of Benton County Therapeutic Courts.
Addressing Food Insecurity:
- The Fair has provided 2nd Harvest with 160,857 pounds of food for children, families, and seniors in need over the past 16 years.
- Sponsor of 12 raised garden beds for the Master Gardener Foundation of Benton & Franklin counties’ “Build-A-Bed-Feed-A-Family” program at the Habitat for Humanity development in Pasco. This program helps low-income and disadvantaged people grow and consume fresh and nutritious garden produce. One raised bed can provide approximately 200 pounds a year.
Education:
- Scholarships: $10,000 annually.
- 586 school employees received free fair admission on Educator Appreciation Day with partner STCU.
- Support of the Mid-Columbia and Richland libraries Summer Reading Programs, with 5,500 donated admission tickets to children who completed the challenge.
- Educated youngsters about agriculture, reaching 700 5th-graders at Farm Fair in March.
- Provided anti-bullying curriculum through school assemblies featuring rodeo clown JJ Harrison. The program reached 1,610 students across the Mid-Columbia in October.
- Awarded $4,400 in grants to first-time livestock exhibitors at the Fair to support their projects.
- Provided $2,250 in cash prizes to participants in the Youth Livestock Video Contest, which showcased projects with educational content.
Supporting those with special needs:
- Host of Rascal Rodeo at no charge to participants and volunteers. Rascal Rodeo provided an authentic rodeo experience to 153 special needs people of all ages with the help of 130 volunteers.
- Sponsor of Therapeutic Riding of Tri-Cities (TROT) fundraiser and The ARC of Tri-Cities Partners ‘N Pals summer day camp.
- Support and partner with Columbia Ability Alliance initiatives including employment opportunities and job training, CI Shred and Opportunity Kitchen.
- Staff and volunteers engaged with Kulture City, the nation’s leading nonprofit on sensory accessibility, to become Sensory Inclusive Certified event. Guests were provided with quiet areas and complimentary loaned sensory kits.