FARMINGTON – The Farmington Fair draws about 35,000 visitors in a typical year, according to fair secretary Neal Yeaton. Despite the fair week’s sunny weather, an anomaly not seen for years, numbers were down, he said. He estimated a decrease of 10 to 12 percent.
Yeaton attributed the decline in attendance to the county’s loss of jobs in the past year and the increase in gas prices.
Overall, the fair went well. There were no major safety issues and some of the agricultural aspects of the show were quite successful. There was an increase in dairy and beef entries, and the goat show grew in size and drew a lot of interest, he said. The expanded 4-H auction was also a success.
The only minor incident occurred one evening midweek when a ride started to smoke. It was running when the motor burned out but did not catch fire. No one was on the ride at the time, which was taken out of commission for the remainder of the fair.
It is unclear how the fair fared financially in this, its 164th year.
Fair officials handle about $300,000 each year during the fair in income and expenditures. Income from admission, booths, rides and a state stipend are not tallied yet. Expenditures include ground improvements and premiums awarded to ribbon winners in everything from produce and artwork to pulling competitions and animal showings. All of the bills are not yet in either. It will take about a month to balance the books, Yeaton said.
Most years, the fair breaks even, but there are contingency funds in the bank if not, he said.
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