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ESCANABA -- For the first time ever, next week's U.P. State Fair will run without the help of the state.  Last October, the property in Escanaba was conveyed to Delta County, and for the past year, the Fair Authority has been busy planning.  And because of the change, the authority can now focus more on local vendors for help, which means more money into the community.

This year's fair was put on by the Fair Authority, made up of representatives from all 15 counties in the U.P. as well as the Hannahville Indian Community.  They then teamed up with the Delta County Chamber of Commerce for management.  All have high hopes this year, especially with the help of some new businesses.

What once was provided through the state can now be provided by local businesses, like the printing.  Photo Offset Printing in Escanaba made over 4,500 weekly passes for the fair and over 2,000 parking passes.

"It's much appreciated.  We're glad the fair is keeping everything local, staying in the U.P," explained business owner, Tammy Fix.

And by keeping it local, fair officials say they, in turn, saved some money.  Previously, the state budgeted about two million dollars for the fair.  However, with the help of local business and trimming some unnecessary expenses, the authority has been able to reduce that to $910,000.

"We've made a lot of cuts actually and found a way to increase revenue, so the reality is, at this point, we're over what we expected to be in income and under where we planned for the budget," said Chamber of Commerce Director, Vickie Micheau.  "So going into the 2010 fair, provided we have pleasant weather, we think 2010 will be a positive year for us."

Officials say they have 122,000 tickets ready, and they hope by next Sunday, they'll have them all sold.  Although there won't be a kick-off parade this year, there will still be a preview night on Monday night, with gates opening at 5 p.m.