Attendance was down, but not by much.

Attendance was down, but not by much.
By MARALINE KUBIK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CANFIELD -- The 157th annual Canfield Fair ended on a soggy -- and muddy -- note, but overall turnout wasn't too bad.
"We're not too unhappy," said George Roman, of the fair board.
"We're happy to see all the hardy souls who turned out for the Vince Gill concert," he said, motioning to a crowd gathered in front of the grandstand just before 8 p.m. Monday.
Although the rain blasted fairgoers, turning midways into wading pools, only a handful of concertgoers left the show during intermission.
The performers wanted to do everything they could to allow the show to go on, Roman said.
Some numbers
Attendance was down about 10 percent with 309,000 people passing through the gate between Wednesday morning, the first day of the fair, and Monday. Fairgoers numbered 33,675 on Labor Day, the rainiest day of the six-day event, Roman said.
Muddy fields prohibited parking in some areas, so alternative parking areas were opened at the Mahoning County Career and Technical Center. Shuttle buses took fairgoers to and from the lots from morning to midnight all weekend.
Because of the rain, vendors and exhibitors began shutting down about 8:30 p.m. when most fairgoers still on the grounds were at the concert. Many were unsure if they would be able to pull their trailers out Monday night because of the water-soaked ground.
Fairgoers still on the grounds and not at the concert gathered in display tents and buildings.
Special to them
One couple still lingering was enjoying every last minute because, they said, this year's fair was extra special despite the rain.
Bob Barko Jr. won "Best of Show" in the fine arts competition and honorable mention in the professional photo competition -- and he and his girlfriend, Katie Bolan, got engaged in front of the giant rooster, the Canfield Fair's official mascot.
After asking Bolan's children if they thought it would be a good idea, Barko, of Youngstown, had Bolan paged over the loudspeaker about 10 p.m. Sunday.
When she showed up with her 8-year-old daughter, Courtney Powell, to meet Barko and her son, 13-year-old Alex Cowan, Bolan knew she was about to hear good news.
"He had this look on his face, and I knew it wasn't bad news," Bolan said. "I already knew about him winning best of show. Once he told me that he loved me and didn't want to live without me, I knew this was it, he was going to ask me to marry him."
The next day, Bolan was wearing her new engagement ring even though it was a little too big.
"It's a very pretty ring, and he picked it out himself," she said. "The inset on the wedding band has my son's and daughter's birthstones, so he included my children, and I really like that."
"It was a pretty good fair. A little rainy, but it was good," Barko said with a smile as he wrapped his arm around Bolan's shoulders.
"You make me happy," he told her.
kubik@vindy.com