Dutchess County Fairgrounds

What Dutchess County Fairgrounds does

The Dutchess County Agricultural Society, Inc. (DCAS) operates the Dutchess County Fairgrounds, a 147-acre event venue in Rhinebeck, NY, on a site purchased outright by the society in 1950. DCAS is a private non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation founded in 1841 under a $157 grant from the New York State Legislature, and is governed by an 80-member society that elects a 16-member Board of Directors. The flagship offering is the annual 6-day Dutchess County Fair (its 180th edition in 2026), featuring livestock exhibitions across 12 dedicated acres and 12 barns, a midway operated by Powers Great American Midways, a covered grandstand with national concert programming, free entertainment (pig racing, dock dogs, agri-venture activities), and a vendor marketplace of more than 50 food and craft concessionaires. Supporting offerings include the Youth Livestock Sale auction (supporting 4-H and FFA participants), facility rentals for weddings, corporate events, and trade shows, seasonal storage services for vehicles and boats, and a calendar of year-round events such as the Hudson Valley Wine & Food Fest, NYS Sheep & Wool Family Festival, and Wonderland of Lights. The underlying technology stack consists of a consumer-facing Dutchess County Fair mobile app (iOS and Android) for maps, schedules, ticket purchasing, and scavenger-hunt gamification, ETIX online ticketing, and on-site self-service kiosks; no APIs, integrations, or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed. Revenue is generated through admission tickets ($15 presale, $20 at gate; free for children 11 and under), ride wristbands ($30 presale / $40 at gate) and individual ride credits, vendor and concession fees, corporate sponsorship (Rhinebeck Bank grandstand, Camping World), facility rental fees, and winter storage contracts. The organization is entirely self-funded with no government funding, and roughly three-quarters of annual income is concentrated in the 6-day fair window; the year-round staff of ~10 is supplemented by ~75 seasonal and ~300 fair-period employees under the leadership of President/CEO Andy Imperati and CFO Donna Zuna.

Name

Dutchess County Fairgrounds

Legal name

Dutchess County Agricultural Society, Inc.

Website

https://dutchessfair.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1841

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Dutchess County Agricultural Society, Inc. operates a 147-acre fairgrounds in Rhinebeck, NY, hosting the 180-year-old annual Dutchess County Fair plus year-round events, facility rentals, and seasonal storage for Hudson Valley families, exhibitors, and regional event organizers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Rhinebeck

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from admission tickets (adult, senior/military discounts), ride wristbands and individual ride tickets, and grandstand concert tickets. Children 11 and under admitted free.
2. Vendor and Concession Fees: Fees collected from food vendors, commercial vendors, and concessionaires operating at the fair and other events throughout the year
3. Sponsorship Revenue: Corporate sponsors support the fair in exchange for branding visibility. Three quarters of annual income is generated during the fair period.
4. Facility Rentals: Year-round rental of fairground facilities including individual buildings and entire grounds for events, plus winter storage for vehicles, boats, and recreational equipment
5. Event Admissions: Revenue from other events hosted at the fairgrounds including Rhinebeck Antique Car Show, Hudson Valley Wine & Food Fest, NYS Sheep & Wool Family Festival, Handcrafted Octoberfest, Wonderland of Lights holiday display

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

No source data was provided in the input to describe the company's core offerings.

Product overview

The Dutchess County Fairgrounds operates as a 147-acre multi-purpose event venue in Rhinebeck, NY, offering the annual Dutchess County Fair (established 1841) as its flagship 6-day event, complemented by year-round seasonal events and facility rental services. The core product portfolio centers on the Dutchess County Fair featuring agricultural exhibitions, livestock shows, midway rides from Powers Great American Midways, grandstand concerts, free entertainment attractions, food concessions, and vendor marketplaces. Supporting offerings include the Dutchess County Fair App for mobile navigation and ticketing, Youth Livestock Sale auction, AgriVenture kids activities, and facility rentals/winter storage services for external events. The fair celebrates its 180th year in 2026 and hosts over 1,000 exhibitors across diverse competition categories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000 exhibitors participate annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rhinebeck BankcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGrandstand sponsor providing financial support for the fair's main concert venue. Rhinebeck Bank logo is prominently displayed on the Grandstand seating chart and main stage.
• Powers Great American MidwayscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFamily-owned carnival company (founded 1980, Western New York) that has provided midway rides and games for the Dutchess County Fair for decades. Three generations of the Powers family oversee operations.
• William Kent Inc.coreOthersAuctioneer company led by Josh Kent that conducts the annual Youth Livestock Sale auction, helping 4-H and FFA youth sell their market animals.
• Rhinebeck Chamber of CommerceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal chamber providing lodging and dining information through the fair's mobile app and promoting fair events to members.
• Camping WorldminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNational RV and outdoor equipment retailer sponsoring the fair.
• Hudson Valley Wine & Food FestivalcoreOthersAnnual food and wine festival held at the fairgrounds in September, sharing venue and cross-promoting with the Dutchess County Fair.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Western Stock Show: Annual livestock show and rodeo in Denver, CO operated by a non-profit Western Stock Show Association on owned grounds, with strong 4-H/FFA youth livestock programming analogous to the Youth Livestock Sale. Closely comparable on agricultural-heritage identity and non-profit governance.
• Erie County Fair: One of the largest county fairs in New York State held annually in Hamburg, NY, operating on a comparable agricultural-fair model with midway rides, livestock exhibitions, grandstand entertainment, and facility rentals. Most directly comparable peer due to shared state, scale, and product mix.
• Ozark Empire Fair: Regional non-profit agricultural fair in Springfield, MO with livestock shows, midway rides, grandstand events, and facility rentals on owned grounds. Comparable mid-sized agricultural-fair operating model with similar revenue mix.
• Sonoma County Fair: County-level agricultural fair and year-round event venue in Santa Rosa, CA owned by a non-profit agricultural society, featuring livestock shows, midway, grandstand entertainment, and facility rentals. Highly comparable non-profit county-fair operating model.
• Hillsdale County Fair: Smaller Michigan county fair operated by a non-profit agricultural society with livestock shows, midway, and community programming. Comparable as a small non-profit county-fair institution, though at materially smaller scale.

Broad incumbents

• Iowa State Fair: One of the most iconic state fairs in the U.S. operated by a non-profit Blue Ribbon Foundation on a large owned fairground complex with 11-day annual fair, year-round events, and livestock exhibitions. Comparable as a non-profit agricultural-fair institution at larger scale.
• Minnesota State Fair: Large non-profit state fair in St. Paul, MN running a 12-day annual event with deep agricultural heritage, livestock competitions, midway, grandstand concerts, and year-round fairground rentals. Comparable structure: non-profit agricultural society, single-site owned real estate, similar revenue mix.
• Indiana State Fair: Non-profit state fair in Indianapolis held on owned fairgrounds with deep 4-H/FFA programming, livestock exhibitions, midway, and year-round venue use. Comparable as a non-profit agricultural-fair institution at larger scale with similar governance structure.
• State Fair of Texas (Big Tex): Iconic 24-day state fair in Dallas operated as a non-profit on owned fairground real estate, featuring livestock shows, midway, grandstand concerts, and year-round event hosting. Comparable as a non-profit agricultural-fair + venue operator, though at meaningfully larger scale.
• Eastern States Exposition (The Big E): Largest multi-state agricultural fair in the Northeast held in West Springfield, MA, featuring livestock, midway rides, grandstand concerts, and year-round event venue operations. Broader scope (six New England states) but same fundamental agricultural-fair + venue business model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dutchess County Fairgrounds