2013 Thurston County Fair Attendance Topped 33,000

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Submitted by The Thurston County Fair

One damp day during the 2013 Thurston County Fair didn’t dampen the spirits of fairgoers.  33,350 people joined in this year’s celebration of laughter and ladybugs between July 31 and August 4, up from 28,800 attendees in 2012.

“This is the crowning achievement for the community that came together and rallied around the fair,” said Thurston County Commissioner Sandra Romero. “This year’s success is due to all the volunteers who put in thousands of hours preparing for the fair.”

“Our fair has such a rich history. The positive impact on our youth and the greater community is immeasurable,” Romero said. “We will continue to grow the fair and come back next year with even more exciting events to enjoy.”

The 33,350 fairgoers brought in $194,000 in revenue for the fair, up $16,000 compared to 2012 fair week revenue. Since 2009, the Thurston County Fair has been a self-funding program of Thurston County government, with all of its operations paid for by the revenue from fair week, along with other activities and events throughout the year, such as RV and boat storage, the annual fall and spring community garage sales, and the Holiday Bazaar event.

The biggest increase in attendance compared to 2012 was on Sunday, August 4. Near-record hot weather in 2012 kept attendance at 3,500, but this year’s sunny skies and mild temperatures attracted 5,750 fairgoers on Sunday—almost a 65 percent increase in attendance for the day.

2013 Thurston County Fair Attendance:

  • Wed., July 31 attendance – 9,300 (8,400 in 2012)
  • Thurs., Aug. 1 attendance – 6,500 (6,100 in 2012)
  • Fri., Aug. 2 attendance – 5,000 (5,100 in 2012)
  • Sat., Aug. 3 attendance – 6,800 (5,700 in 2012)
  • Sun., Aug. 4 attendance – 5,750 (3,500 in 2012)          

Other 2013 Thurston County Fair Highlights:

  • 2013 saw another successful food drive for the Thurston County Food Bank at the fair’s annual “One Buck Wednesday” event, where admission is only $1 with a food donation. This year, generous fairgoers brought in about seven pallets of food, nearly matching last year’s record of eight pallets of donated food. This year’s One Buck Wednesday fairgoers also donated over $600 in cash to the food bank.
  • Approximately 800 Military Appreciation Day discount admission tickets were sold. Despite the rain, that total nearly matches the 900 military discount tickets sold in 2012.
  • The Beef and Dairy Barn was this year’s winner of the Washington State Fair Commission’s prestigious black and white ribbon. The award is given for an exhibit, individual or department that has excelled beyond the norm. In awarding this year’s ribbon to the Beef and Dairy Barn and Beef and Dairy Superintendent Jeremy Black, the state fair commissioner declared the beef and dairy department the most improved this year by having a completely full barn of exhibitors and competitors, unlike several past years when only a handful of cattle were entered in the fair.

Winners for this year’s Dessert of the Day contests include:

  • Katie Howell, 2013 winner of the Chocolate Cake Contest—Adult
  • Bernard Estores, 2013 winner of the Chocolate Cake Contest—Youth
  • Elaine Dunn, 2013 winner of the Cookie Contest—Adult
  • Jemma Bossio, 2013 winner of the Cookie Contest—Youth
  • David Reister, 2013 Best Overall winner of the Spooner’s Berry Best Pie Contest
  • Stephanie Larsen, 2013 Youth Winner of the Spooner’s Berry Best Pie Contest
  • Earle McNeil, 2013 winner of the Mixed Berry category in the Spooner’s Berry Best Pie Contest
  •  Mary Tate, 2013 winner of the Single Berry category in the Spooner’s Berry Best Pie Contest
  • Eric Beck, 2013 winner of the Cupcake Contest
  • Christie Smith, 2013 winner of the Best Decoration category in the Cupcake Contest

For more information about the Thurston County Fair and year round activities and events at the fairgrounds, visit www.co.thurston.wa.us/fair or contact the Thurston County Fair Office at (360) 786-5453.

 

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