Linn County Fair attendance was a little below average this year, while the financial success of the event remains undetermined.
“I don’t have any final numbers for financial-type stuff yet,” said Tim McQueary, Fair Board chairman. “Attendance was down slightly, with Sunday better than in the past. ”
Attendance was down Friday and Saturday while Thursday was a little up, he said. Overall, the fair was probably down around 2,000. Last year, the fair had 28,000 people attend.
“We’ve had bigger crowds on Sundays, when we had the motor sports,” McQueary said, but visitors would leave as soon as they were finished. Since last year, the fair board has been trying to find something at the same cost or less that brings the crowds in and keeps them longer to enjoy all of the fair, he said.
This year the Fair’s Sunday activities included a concert by well-known Christian band Hawk Nelson.
“I’m encouraged by what I saw on Sunday.”
In the next few weeks, the Fair Board will meet and discuss what it saw and then make changes for next year, he said.
McQueary said he thinks the economy played a part in the lower numbers this year.
The livestock auction drew some bids that were higher than expected and some that were lower, he said, but he didn’t have numbers available Monday for that part of the fair yet.
“Overall, I just think people really enjoyed it,” he said.