The Salem Fair wrapped-up its 12 day run at the Taliaferro Complex last Sunday, but not before posting unexpected gains in attendance and revenue for the fourth time in the past five years.
Despite the wettest weather in the history of the event, Fair Manager, Carey Harveycutter, says the fair saw attendance and ride revenue increases on eight different nights on the 14 acre midway.
“There’s no doubt, we had our share of rain, but on the days when the sun was out, fairgoers more than made up for any losses due to wet weather,” said Harveycutter. “In fact, we set records on two different days of the fair this summer.”
Saturday, July 6, turned out to be the biggest single day in the 26 year history of the fair as ride receipts shot up 51 percent over the same day in 2012. In addition, Sunday July 14, the final day of the fair, proved to be the most successful Sunday in fair history. In all, Harveycutter estimates more than 300,000 people toured the fairgrounds this year.
“The rain was a factor on at least five days, but the fair-goers showed us that they would rather get a little wet than deal with the stifling heatwave we had last year,” he says. “We can’t control the weather, but we can make sure we consistently offer a quality product like Deggeller Attractions. The public appreciates that and we appreciate their support.”
Creative arts and horticulture exhibits also showed increases in participation this year thanks to a number of new categories and contests. This year, more than 600 individual exhibitors put their produce, baked goods and crafts on display. In addition, many of the free shows, like the ultra popular “Kachunga and the Alligator” were packed for most, if not every performance.