Strates Shows is fortunate to have years of experience within the industry. We are using the benefit of this knowledge to strengthen and expand our business. In the 1980s the company diversified into the fair business with the purchase of the Anderson County Fairgrounds in Anderson, S.C., and today we continue to pursue the best possible routing for the show.

In 1997, Strates Shows played four new events that proved to be positive additions to the route. An established event, the Meadowlands Fair in East Rutherford, N.J., was a significant addition to the summer route while three other first-time events produced promising results as well.

Unlike established fairs, the spring season has traditionally been a difficult time of year for consistent growth. This is primarily due to route changes caused by site availability. To remedy this situation, Strates Shows began working with various fairs in the spring to produce a second event at their fairgrounds. One such event is the Gaithersburg City Youth Festival, an eight-year-old fair Strates Shows started and established at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Maryland. Two new spring fairs were also added to the 1997 route, the Anderson Spring Fair in Anderson, S.C. and Springfair in Winston-Salem, N.C. Both events drew good crowds and are scheduled on the 1998 route.

The last of 1997’s new events was the Orange County Fair located in Winter Garden, Fla. near the show's winter quarters in Orlando. This first-time venture was the final fair of the season and worked perfectly into the show's routing. Fortunately, crowds were good, and the community's interest in the future of the event is very encouraging.