Acton Children's Business Fair of Orange County, NY event image

Acton Children's Business Fair of Orange County, NY

Saturday, June 26, 2021

9:00AM - 1:00PM

Balmville Grange 982

27 Fostertown Rd, Newburgh, NY 12550, USA

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About the fair
Do your children love to create? Are they the ultimate salesman? Do they love making money?

Then consider signing them up for the Acton Children's Business Fair of Orange County, NY!

This is a unique opportunity where children, ages 6-14 are given the complete and total freedom to start their own startup business and make real money!

Kids who participate in the fair develop a brand, create a product or service, build a marketing strategy, and then open for customers at our one-day marketplace.

Plus, not only will they get to earn money from selling their wares to real customers, but they will also be entered in the business competition with cash prizes of up to $50 per category and age group! 

We will host up to 36 booths at the 1st annual event in Orange County, NY on Saturday, June 26, 2021 from 9 am – 1 pm at the Balmville Grange 982 on Fostertown Road in Newburgh, NY 12550.

This event is sponsored by Acton Academy, the Acton School of Business, What's up Fagans?, and the generous support of our donors and volunteers.  We all believe principled entrepreneurs are heroes and role models for the next generation, as well as job creators. 

We hope this fair will spark creativity, ingenuity, money smarts, and a taste of what creating and marketing a business entails.

Please consider signing up for this fair! Hurry and apply as spots will fill up quickly. 

If you are not able to attend this event, you can also request to host your own at a later date. 
Hosted by

Katelyn Fagan

🗓️ Started hosting in 2021

Identity verified

🚀 Has hosted 1 fair

Acton is a team of passionate entrepreneurs, teachers, mentors, and parents, who want our children to learn about entrepreneurship in a practical and fun way.

Your OCNY Host
Your local Orange County host is Katelyn Fagan of Newburgh, NY. She is a homeschooling mom of seven children (including two sets of twins), ages 11, 11, 8, 5, 3, 8 months, and 8 months.

Katelyn also is an entrepreneur! She has run her own successful online business, running a blog - What's up Fagans? - and its accompanying social media profiles for the last 8 years. She's also headed back to school this fall for an MBA at Brigham Young University.

She is hosting this event because she wants to inspire children to be entrepreneurial! As a business owner herself, she knows all the work that goes into it and wants children all over the area to get a taste of how fun it is to create and earn money from it. 

Be sure to message Katelyn on social media with any additional questions you may have about the Acton Children's Business of Orange County, NY. 

6 booths participating

Adventures of Abby Girl

Record Bowls, Inc.

And 4 others.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Acton Children’s Business Fair?

The Acton Children’s Business Fair inspires children to discover their inner entrepreneur. The largest entrepreneurship event for kids in North America, this one-day market gives children the opportunity to showcase their very own businesses.

How many businesses will you accept?

We will accept up to 36 businesses max. Register early to secure your spot.

Where should I begin? 

Start with our resources page. Read inspiring stories about other young entrepreneurs and play games to hone your business skills.

How do I apply? Can I apply as part of a group?

The application must be submitted online. Please submit one application for each business. Children working as a group should submit one application that includes each child’s information. 

No more than 3 participants per business unless of the same household.

What is on the application?

The application asks kids to think through some simple, but important elements of their business:

  • What product or service do you plan to sell?
  • What price will you charge for each product/service? How much will each product/service cost you?
  • How will you pay for your startup costs? If someone is helping you with your startup costs, how will you pay that person back?
  • How will you advertise/market your business before the fair? 
  • At the end of the fair, how will you determine if your business was a success? 

What if someone else has the same business idea?  

Two cupcake businesses? Not a problem. In general, we will let market forces play out, though we will let later entries know if another applicant has a similar idea so the later entrant can decide what to do.

How will the fair be set up?

The fair will be an outdoor event with long tables serving as the business' "booths." Each business will need a table and 1-2 chairs. Tablecloths will not be provided; you must bring your own. We are not able to accommodate businesses requiring electricity. Bring any additional display cases or hangers as needed for your business.

Will electricity be available?

Unfortunately, we are not able to provide electricity to the tables/booths, and no businesses requiring electricity or generators will be allowed.

What are the rules? 

This event is designed to give children the total learning experience of selling a product or service. Please let them have that experience.

If a parent is found selling or promoting a child’s product or service, their child’s business will be disqualified from the competition.

Parents of younger children may sit in the booth, but the children should be responsible for set up, customer interaction, and sales.

Parents may help their child(ren) fill out the application, but we expect the children to do as much as possible by themselves.

What are the age requirements?

Applicants must be between the ages of 6-14 on or before the application open date, which is May 15, 2021. 

What is the Business Competition? 

All entries will be automatically entered in the business competition, and booths will be judged by fellow entrepreneurs and volunteer judges on a variety of criteria, including most original business idea, highest business potential, and best presentation/creativity.

Cash prizes of $50 per category and age group (to be split amount the business owners) will be presented at the conclusion of the fair.

The age groups are 6-7, 8-10, 11-12, and 13-14. If children of different age groups prepare a booth together, they will be judged in the age group of the oldest participant.

An awards ceremony will be held immediately following the Children's Business Fair. You must attend to claim your prize.

Can I get a sponsor for my children's business?

No, sorry. There will be NO soliciting personal or individual business sponsors for your child's product.

When will we find out if we are accepted into the fair?

We will begin to notify accepted applicants on a first come first come basis, within 1-2 business days after the application is received, and will continue accepting applicants until we reach our cap of 36 businesses.

Is there an application fee?

No. It doesn't cost anything to apply to be part of the fair.

However, once accepted, we will collect a $20 participation fee to secure your spot and offset hosting costs.

Does it cost money to participate in the fair?

Yes. Once your business idea is accepted, we will collect a $20 participation fee, which must be earned by the child.

Other expenses are associated with participating in this fair are the materials your child will need to buy in order to create their product to sell.

The children must repay any loans required to launch their business, such as materials, marketing/signage expenses, and the participation fee.  

What if it rains the day of the fair?

This event will happen rain or shine, and we look forward to seeing you there. In the case of inclement weather, we will look to move the table indoors, but you may also consider bringing a tent to go over the table if you have one.

The fair will NOT be rescheduled.

What COVID-19 guidelines will be in place?

Each business will have its own table, and be at least 6 feet from another business. We ask customers to not crowd tables, shopping one at a time at the booths.

As the event is outdoors, it will abide by CDC's newest guidelines which state masks are no longer needed outdoors for vaccinated people. We ask non-vaccinated people to still wear a mask while browsing the business booths.

How did the Acton Children’s Business Fair get started?

Jeff and Laura Sandefer and a few other families wanted to spark a sense of wonder and entrepreneurship in their children so they created the first Acton Children’s Business Fair in Austin, Texas, in 2007. That year, there were seven entrepreneurs and around 25 attendees. 

Now, there are over 115 entrepreneurs and 1,500 attendees at the Acton Children's Business Fair in Austin, TX.

Our incredible sponsors

Children's Business Fair

Acton Academy

Next Great Adventure

What's up Fagans?