The 136th Fayette County Fair ended Saturday with an increase in attendance from previous years, according to Senior Fair Board President Bob Schwartz and secretary Faith Cottrill.
The fair, which ran from July 20-25, saw an increase in attendance by about 15 percent in daily admission. Compared to numbers from past years, such as in 2014 where about 16,000 patrons paid for admission, the fair saw about 16,000 to 16,500 patrons. According to Schwartz, the largest increase was in the pre-sale “mega-passes,” which included daily admission and allowed patrons to ride the assortment of rides provided by Amusements of America.
“We really think the increase in the sales and attendance was due to the ride company we have at the fair,” Schwartz said. “This is the second year we have had this company, and we could not be happier with them. They treated the fair goers with respect, brought many great rides to the fair and have continued to entertain the crowd. We have signed a five-year contract with them, which began this year, so expect these amazing rides to continue through 2019.”
The other reason for the increase in attendance can be attributed to the wonderful weather all week long. With no days being doused in rain, the sun brought more people out to the fair than ever before. Coupled with more concessions and the ride company, the 136th Fayette County Fair was very successful.
“I have no regret with this fair and think it went very well,” Schwartz said. “I was very pleased and ecstatic with the performance of the company, the civil war camp was an interesting addition all week long, and most of the evening entertainment at the McDonald’s Grandstand was very well attended.”
“We were having trouble finding room for all the patrons this year,” Cottrill said. “They filled almost all of the back-up parking lots most evenings. The only disappointment that we really heard was that the Ferris Wheel was not available this year, but the ride company has refurbished the ride with new lights and it will be even more spectacular next year.”
So many helped to contribute to the fair in one way or another. The president and secretary want to extend thanks to the Will and Marjorie Braun Trust, the Darlene Faye McCain estate, the Gene Barger Rice Trust and William Kirkpatrick Memorial Donations as well as the junior fair livestock sale supporters, along with so many others.
“We would like to thank Steve Luebbe and the engineer’s office for all of the help because without them we could not pull the fair off,” Schwartz said. “Also a big thank you to Doug Marine Motors for purchasing the junior fair wristbands for all of the kids this year, which is so generous. Additionally, we would like to thank Don Callender and his staff for helping to keep the grounds well tended. Most importantly we would like to thank the community for supporting the fair and raffles to continue to improve the grounds. Everyone who has helped has done so much and we hope that you all continue to support the fairgrounds.”
The Fayette County Agricultural Society wants to also remind the community of its upcoming raffle. Tickets are $100 and only 1,000 will be sold. Tickets can be purchased from any fair board members, from the fair office, from Doug Marine Motors or by calling the fair office at (740) 335-5856. The top prize for the raffle is a new 2015 Ram 1500 Crew Cab 4×4, second prize is a new John Deere Gator, third prize is a six by 10 aluminum trailer with drop gate, and five $1,000 cash prizes will also be awarded. All net proceeds will benefit the building improvement fund for the fairgrounds.
The drawing will be held on Sept. 19 at 9 p.m. with Rock N’ Country entertaining from 7 until 11 p.m. and includes food and cash bar. Admission is free to the event with the purchase of a ticket.
