Page 31 - BusinessWest September 1, 2025

West Side >>Continued from page 13
Street in terms of easier access to the
service area.
A portion of the existing dealership
will be salvaged and used for a state
inspection center, calibration services,
parts distribution, and used-car recon-
ditioning, she went on, adding that the
remainder will be demolished and used
for parking. The project is on track to
be completed in mid-December.
Fair Assessment
Cassidy’s attention to detail, espe-
cially when it comes to the weather, has
been well-chronicled. Indeed, each
day of the Big E, he takes detailed
notes about what the conditions were,
almost hour by hour, entries that help
explain attendance figures.
So when he said it didn’t rain much
last year, he didn’t generalize. He went
right to the book.
“Let’s see ... the second Thurs-
day, the 26th, we had light rain late
morning and mid-afternoon, but it
didn’t really have any impact on our
attendance ... that was it,” he said,
adding that this rainfall total was a
big change from 2024, when it rained
on several days during the fair, and it
goes a long way toward explaining the
record attendance and record profits.
Those numbers will be tough to
repeat, let alone surpass, in 2025, he
acknowledged, noting that the weath-
er will likely not be as good this year.
But with a shrug of the shoulders, he
indicated that anything is possible.
For the most part, he stuck to
what is likely, which — again, weather
permitting — will be another solid
year. He noted that fairs like this one
are not entirely recession-proof, but
they’re close.
“Fairs represent tradition, and
people, at this time in our history, are
hungry for that; they desire that,” he
said. “And for that reason, fairs tend
to be insulated from inflation. People
might defer on taking a trip to Disney,
but they’re going to come to the fair
because that’s their family tradition.”
This explains why many recent
fairs have done well, said Cassidy, cit-
ing the Wisconsin State Fair, which
was on pace to shatter attendance
records until heavy rains and some
flooding, as one example.
As for the 2025 Big E, like most
of the 109 that have come before it,
this one will feature ‘new and old,’ a
phrase that covers everything from
attractions to food to the brews in the
many beer gardens.
The ‘new’ this year includes the
return of Navy Week programming as
a lead up to the nation’s 250th birth-
day, including performances by the
Navy Band Northeast and the Navy
Windward Quartet, as well as Collec-
tor Car Live: Race Day, a car show
featuring race vehicles and NASCAR
driver Ryan Preece, and increased
‘strolling entertainment,’ including
Fritzy One Man Circus and strolling
musician Freddie Marion.
‘New and old’ also refers to the
music lineup, which includes every-
thing from ZZ Top and Foreigner to
Five for Fighting, Train, Busta Rhymes
& Rick Ross, and TLC with Big Boi.
As for the ‘old,’ that would include
the giant slide, which has been part of
the Big E since 1969. It stretches 135
feet, and LaMountain knows every inch
of it, although, as noted earlier, she’s
not out there waxing it anymore.
When asked how those applying the
wax to those higher areas do so with-
out gravity taking hold, she said “very
carefully.”
In addition to supervising the wax-
ing, LaMountain, 73, makes sure the
slide is properly staffed (it takes a half-
dozen people to operate it) and that
the various procedures are followed,
including protocols when it rains — it
shuts down immediately when drops
start falling.
Overall, more than 100,000 people
will go down the slide over the course
of the 17 days, she said, adding that
maybe 9,000 will visit the attraction on
a busy Saturday. That adds up to long
days, but she endures — and she comes
back every year.
“It’s fun. It’s a long day, but ... it’s
the people you see every year,” she
explained, adding that that the money
earned over the course of the fair pays
for a vacation or some extras, with
some going in the bank. “We have a
good time, and I would really miss it if I
didn’t do it.”
With that, she spoke not only for
people who work at Big E, but for
everyone who visits each year. BW
Presented by Eastern States Exposition
September 12-28
Business W est << CONTINUED >>
SEPTEMBER 1, 2025
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