Erie County Fair officials are hailing a successful finish to the "best 12 days of summer." Festivities wrapped up in Hamburg on Sunday, but for the first time in several years the overall attendance is less than one million people. The reason? For some, it was just too darn hot this year.
Officials announced that 986,542 visitors attended the 177th Erie County Fair. That amounts to a 15 percent decrease in attendance from last year. But fair organizers are not calling that a disappointment.
"From the number of participants who came out from our creative arts, to our animals, to hundreds of thousands of people who came out who created memories at the Erie County Fair, it's a major sense of satisfaction after 12 days to create that impact in the community," said Martin Biniasz, marketing manager for the Erie County Fair.
The primary reason for this year's drop in attendance, according to Biniasz, was the hotter-than-usual summer.
"Usually we only have two or three days of 90-degree weather during the entire summer," he said. "This year was abnormal for weather cycles. But we prepare for rain, we prepare for sun and we prepare for heat. Being an agricultural-based fair, out work is outdoors and we take it as it comes."
This year's edition brought with it two new exhibits that officials deemed hits. One is a new history and heritage center, one that Biniasz says will become permanent, that is housed in the 1885 Octagon building on the fairgrounds. It's a Fair museum that houses numerous rare artifacts. Another successful attraction was an equine exhibit that educated visitors about different breeds of horses as well as different kinds of tack used in riding and competitions.
There's no rest for the staff. They're already planning for next year's 178th Erie County Fair. With a little more help from the weather next summer, perhaps they may again welcome more than a million visitors.
"The Erie County Fair is the original summertime tradition," said Biniasz. "So many generations have come here. So many generations have created memories. Half the people say the Fair changes too much, while the other half says the Fair doesn't change at all. We like to be somewhere in the middle."
