Lake County Fair attendance up from last year

Mild late-July weather and some changes in attractions helped boost attendance at this year's Lake County Fair, organizers said Monday.

Fair director Bill Obenauf said 154,000 people attended the annual six-day showcase of food, animals and fun. That was an increase of more than 40,000 over the 2006 figure of 114,000.

"Last year, it was extremely hot during the fair," he said. "This year was warm, but not overly hot. I think that helped bring people out."

Temperatures during the fair ranged from 65 to 80 degrees, with a high of 88 on Saturday afternoon.

Despite the year-to-year increase, this year's attendance trails the 177,000 figure from 2005, 204,000 in 2004, and 195,000 in 2003.

Obenauf said some newer attractions also turned out to be a hit with fair-goers this year.

The addition of Mutton Bustin' -- where children under 6 years old and 60 pounds try to ride a sheep across an arena -- and new promoters for the demolition derby and the motor cross also helped boost attendance.

"The demolition derby was more attended this year than any other year in the past," Obenauf said. "It was so busy that we had to push people away."

Officials said the new promoter was able to advertise locally more than other promoters did, which helped draw larger crowds.

Rain wasn't a factor, for the most part, and vendors indicated they made more money this year than in the past, Obenauf said.

"The only rain we had was Thursday morning, and that only seemed to last until noon," he said. "I just spoke with a vendor that said this was the best fair in the past 55 years. So, we're real happy about how it all went down."