The Exposition Needs To Pay Taxes

Crossposted @ www.greenmountaindaily.com


Saturday, I had the pleasure of accompanying my father, grandfather, and nephew to the annual Yankee Sportsman's Classic. It was held at the Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex Junction. A great outing, we saw lots of taxidermy animals and fish, and oufitters from as far away as Montana, North Carolina, and Canada. Exhibits, products, campers, boats, cars, trucks, ATV's, galore. There were lots of things to benefit Camp Ta-Kum-Ta, a camp for kids with cancer.


It took us about three hours to weave throught the sensory delight. Along the way I got to see my nephew of 6 years use a laser gun to shoot deer on a TV screen at the Fish and Wildlife Dept. exhibit. He shot a BB gun to benefit the camp, fished in the pond to benefit the camp. We entered a raffle for the camp. Still as we passed the concessions I began to wonder. All these people who had been elbow to elbow since the show opened, with a line long out the door as we left and every adult paying ten dollars to get in.


All these thousands of adults paying to attend an event in the dead of winter. The vendors pay to be there, and concessions are sold. This is one of many events outside what is typically thought of the "fair season". The Champlain Valley Exposition has become a year round venue, it should be paying taxes. It developed new facilities and expanded its season, it has long past its fairground status. The day they undertook to develop new year round facilities was when I feel their tax status changed.