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Total attendance at Canfield Fair surpasses last year’s number
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Many people treated the fair as their vacation because of the economic downturn.
Staff Report
CANFIELD — Though Monday’s attendance was slightly lower than expected, total turnout for the 163rd Canfield Fair exceeded expectations.
Fair officials originally estimated an attendance figure of 50,000 for the final day of the fair. It was reported that the actual figure is about 9,000 less, at 41,828. Bev Fisher, fair manager, confirmed the number.
That figure is also down from the final day of the 2008 fair, which had an attendance of 63,881.
But though the final day’s figure was somewhat disappointing, the overall attendance was a positive.
The total of patrons for the 2009 fair is 318,748. That figure is up from the 302,186 who attended a year ago.
“I think the fair went very well this year,” said James Evans, fair board president. “The overall complaints were probably to a minimum, and I can’t think of one issue we weren’t able to accommodate.”
Other fair officials credited the economy and weather, as well as technological advancements at the fair.
“A lot of people are saying they didn’t go on vacation, so they used the fair as their vacation,” said Timm Schreiber. “We are just thankful they chose to come spend their money here.”
Attendance for Sunday, which Schreiber said is usually the busiest day of the fair, was 84,282. The figure is up from the same day in 2008, which saw 83,045 patrons.
Another boost for the fair was the implementation of credit-card machines at the three main gates.
Though the machines weren’t directly responsible for the attendance, they did help patrons enjoy the fair more.
“People thought it was a great idea to have the credit-card machines at the gates,” Schreiber said.
“It gives them a little bit more money to spend on concessions and other things inside the fair.”