Eastern States Exposition Gives a Platform to Community Groups at The Big E
When guests are taking on their greatest culinary conquest with The Flatliner Hot Dog or Burger at the West Springfield Lions Club at The Big E, it can be easy to forget that their heroism is happening in more ways than one. When you patronize the concession locations for the Agawam and West Springfield Lions Clubs, the Hampden County 4-H and Youth Fair Association and Special Fund and the West Springfield Permanent Firefighters Relief Association at the Fair, you support their mission by contributing monetarily. This year, a combined total of more than $450,000 was raised across nonprofit causes through on-grounds concessions during The Big E.
The West Springfield and Agawam Lions Clubs each operate restaurants during The Big E, which serve classic American cuisine and quintessential fair food. They operate thanks to the help of their volunteer staff. The funds they raised will be used to support the civil service initiatives that the Lions Club International do to provide disaster relief, youth outreach programs, environmental initiatives and more.
“Our biggest success was the first Monday of the Fair, during Bargain Bites Day,” said Aldo Paier, treasurer of the West Springfield Lions Club. “We sold more than 520 bacon cheeseburgers that day and, all together, more than 650 hamburgers total. It was a particularly great day, and it helped us generate a lot of income. I believe that the reason we do well is because we have a lot of volunteers from various organizations that help us man our building.”
The Firehouse is another staple of the fairgrounds, located on Hampden Avenue. Early risers walking the Fair and hungry concessionaires and vendors fuel up before longs days with traditional breakfast at this location. Proceeds benefit the West Springfield Fire Department (WSFD) via the Permanent Firefighters Relief Association, which is a nonprofit dedicated to providing aid and relief to sick, disabled and deceased members of the WSFD.
Of ESE’s community service and outreach, WSFD Fire Chief C.J. Bartone said, “The Fair provides us this unique opportunity for members here to volunteer, to generate funds and to be able to donate back to the local community. Without the Fair, we wouldn’t have that ability—or it would be a lot harder for us, I should say. You look at fire departments across the commonwealth, and I don’t know any of them that have an event like this.”
During the Fair, young agriculturists also have designated spaces to host fundraising efforts to improve upon and preserve their programming. The 4-H Milk Booth at the Mallary Complex served more than 25,000 jet shakes. They refilled their machines 400 times during the run of the Fair, meaning that they went through 1,800 gallons of milkshakes. They also added blueberry milk to their lineup, which otherwise includes chocolate, strawberry and coffee whole 1% milk, and sold 3,150 milk pints from Our Family Farms in Leyden, Mass. Proceeds from sales benefit the programming for the 4-H clubs that staff the booth, and operators elected to donate 3% of revenue back to ESE’s 4-H and youth programming.
This year, and the 4-H Apple Booth in Farm-A-Rama raised more than $12,600 through the sale of apples, gourds, mini pumpkins, giant pumpkin seeds and ornamental corn. This booth is run by the Hampden County 4-H/Youth Special Fund and staffed by volunteers. Proceeds support programming, scholarships, a grant to allow children to attend annual educational camps and a reimbursement fund.
However, Eastern States Exposition’s (ESE) work for the wider community does not end when the 17 days of The Big E conclude. Nonprofits benefit from ESE when they host fundraising initiatives on the fairgrounds both during The Big E, after hours and throughout the rest of the calendar year.
Other beneficiaries of this generosity include, but are not exclusive to, fair industry trade organizations such as the Outdoor Amusement Business Association (OABA), the Showmen’s League of America (SLA) and the National Independent Concessionaires Association (NICA). A joint jamboree between the OABA and the SLA afterhours at The Big E raised more than $50,000 in 2026, allowing both groups to continue the advocacy work they do on behalf of amusement employees.
The West Springfield Lions Club also hosts pancake breakfasts at ESE. Annually, they generously give their time to Storrowton Village Museum for Maple Harvest Day and Pancake Breakfast, a celebration of maple sugaring in New England that serves as a major fundraiser for the historic village, and they host their own Father’s Day Breakfast each June.
See more opportunities to support and uplift the organizations you love at ESE by checking the events page at EasternStatesExposition.com.