The Moose Jaw Exhibition Company was poised for a successful year when the COVID-19 quarantine came in March, says General Manager George Fowler.
“When we locked down we had 150 days of bookings,” Fowler explained. “There’s nothing we can do about that.’’
In all, he estimates the non-profit organization lost between 200 and 225 booking days at facilities on the grounds this year.
“Lots of the weddings moved their dates into 2021,” he told the annual general meeting covering the fiscal year of Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2019.
The exhibition company is fortunate to have rental income from CJ Trailers, the COVID-19 testing centre and barn tenants, said Fowler.
On a more positive note, the loss of events has allowed the staff to pursue improvements and projects that just didn’t get done before.
One of those was a cleanup of the eyesore on the northeast side of the grounds. Several members commented on how spiffy the grounds look now.
The burrowing owl centre, with nine burrowing owls, one short-eared owl and two gophers, was and is open by appointment, allowing control for COVID-19 restrictions.
“Last year seems like a long time ago.”
A 2019 highlight was the week long provincial barrel racing competition with 600 contestants and excellent feedback on the spinoff from local businesses.
The youth rodeo school run by Lee Bellows was well attended drawing participants from the United Kingdom.
The Hometown Fair in 2019 was dominated by rain.
“We lost all day Friday. It just wouldn’t quit. The light horse show was cancelled.
“Saturday afternoon and Sunday were better. Had we lost Saturday it would not have been as good.”
Weddings were down last year but a survey of venues showed everyone was down. No one knows why.
The Exhibition Company lost $36,824 last year but Auditor Derek Owens said the loss was covered by depreciation and didn’t involve cash.
Cash increased by $81,000 on revenues of $1.179 million, a reduction of $28,000 from 2018.
Utility bills fell $15,000 to $126,000. Fowler said installation of LED lights in the arena and a new water meter reduced utility costs.
“We had a water meter that wasn’t working right for an extended period of time. We changed it and we immediately saw a significant decrease in utility bills.”
The city manager was helpful in getting the meter changed. Getting a refund on overcharges “is a work in progress.”
President Judy Wilson said life has changed for the organization with COVID-19.
She acknowledged volunteers and employees who died during the year — Marg Delahey, Brian Stirton, Don Brown, Wilma Knutt and Bev Newman.
Re-elected to the board were George Fowler, Allison Rain, Bobbi Jo Reeves and Joyce Walter. New board member is Dr. Ann Vander Hooft.
Ron Walter can be reached at [email protected]
