Lake County Fair hits attendance high
Nearly five full days of good weather, the return of a trifecta of favorite performances and other factors helped make the 2015 Lake County Fair the best attended since the new venue opened six years ago on Peterson Road in Grayslake.
Tallies were still being made Tuesday afternoon, but fair officials said they were pleased with the outcome of an estimated attendance of more than 100,000.
"All of the key performance indicators that generate revenue for us - the gate, parking, beer, rides, outdoor vendor space, indoor vendor space and sponsorship - were all up and in some cases up double digits," said Matt Robertson, general manager of the Lake County Fair Association.
Since the new fairgrounds opened in 2009, fair officials have had to contend with the ghost of fairs past and patrons' memories of the more than 50 years it was held a few miles north at routes 45 and 120. The new fairgrounds has been beset by a variety of issues that have precluded it from being finished as originally envisioned.
But improvements have been steady. This year, for example, an ornamental brick electronic entry sign was installed just before the big event.
"This is the best fair we've had at the new facility," Robertson said. "Five beautiful days and no major road work construction at our front door. There's no substitute for beautiful weather."
Jon Brodzik Jr., president of the Lake County Fair board of directors, said the vibe was like the old days.
"It was packed. The grandstands were full for all the events," he said. "The demolition derby on Friday - I don't remember a crowd that large in a long time,"
Fairgoers he spoke with were happy and some of the vendors were "exceptionally happy," Brodzik said.
Robertson said the return of motocross was a big success, and the rodeo and demolition derby drew crowds to the grandstands. Another factor was, for the first time, fair officials sought and received village approval to fence off the grandstand area and serve beer, he added. Beer can only be consumed in designated areas and that action greatly expanded the reach.
"It was like the bleachers at Wrigley Field. We sold a lot of beer there," Robertson said.
Top-notch promotion, which included a partnership with the Visit Lake County tourism organization and social media advertising, also contributed to the turnout, Robertson said. Improving the capability for online ticket sales already is on the 2016 to do list, he added.
The only glitch was near the end of the run Sunday, with the storm that produced a tornado and devastated parts of Grayslake and other communities. The fair was closed an hour or two before its scheduled time, Robertson said, but no weather-related issues were reported.
"The path of the tornado ran along our old fairgrounds. We realized how lucky we got. While we're celebrating the success of the fair, we realize that there are people who got hammered," he said.