WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) – Every year, the Eastern States Exposition makes a donation to the town of West Springfield to support the ESE Trust. $370,970 is the number of the day — the biggest donation from the Eastern States Exposition in their history.
The annual check presentation was established back in 1994 as a condition after the fair lost a great deal of money and asked the town for an extension, which lead to the agreement of an annual one percent donation of the Big E’s gross income.
That number varied from year to year, but after one of the most successful years at the fairgrounds, Gene Cassidy, president of the Eastern States Exposition, brought this year’s record-breaking donation down to town hall on Thursday.
“At this point, this is the biggest check we’ve ever been able to give. We had a record fair last year; we had a big, big fair. We had 16 days of sunshine, which tells you that sunshine can do great things, and it transfers to the community,” Cassidy told us.
A successful fair leads to a successful check writing, but that money goes to so many more organizations than you may realize. In past years, the trust has helped out youth organizations, senior centers, Boys and Girls Clubs, the YMCA, and even high school sports teams. While Mayor Will Reichelt tells Western Mass News that the money doesn’t necessarily lower taxes for residents, it does allow the town to help organizations that it wouldn’t usually be able to.
“We want the Big E money to go as far as possible and help as many organizations as possible,” Mayor Reichelt emphasized.
Mayor Reichelt has not yet announced which of the 54 applicants will be receiving a portion of the grant money. He promises that those details are expected to come out by the end of next week.
Copyright 2025. Western Mass News (WGGB/WSHM). All rights reserved.
Discover more from PressNewsAgency
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.