FAIR ATTENDANCE UP; WEATHER, ATTRACTIONS CREDITED

Temperate weather and new attractions may have sparked attendance this year at the Southeast Missouri District Fair.

The fair featured several new attractions this year, said Pete Poe, president of the SEMO District Fair Association. He said some 83,367 visitors attended the fair through Friday evening, and he projected Saturday's attendance figures would push total attendance over last year's nearly 100,000.

Poe said daily attendance was up on every night except Monday and Tuesday. Cloudy and rainy weather on those days probably kept total attendance from exceeding last year's figures by even more than projected, he said.

New to the fair this year was the Good Life Gospel Sing held Sunday afternoon. The free event was held in the show tent, and featured gospel talents that included the Dixie Melody Boys, The Crabb Family and N-Harmony. All 800 seats were filled at the event, which Poe said signified a strong public interest.

"There was standing room only, so we'll probably bring that back next year with a bigger, better format," Poe said.

Although fair attendance was down Monday, the demolition derby held that night had the largest participation ever. Poe said every seat was taken during the grandstand event, resulting in an attendance of about 2,500 people.

Another big draw this year was the KFVS Family Circus. The circus, which was held for the first time in 1996, was a family attraction, Poe said. Ten performances resulted in standing room only crowds each day, he said.

One popular attraction that Poe said probably won't be featured in next year's fair was the Anheuser-Busch Motor Sports Pavilion. The pavilion, which featured Miss Budweiser, the Bud Light Micro Jet, Funny Car, and the Budweiser Indy Car, was extremely popular with fairgoers, he said, but its chances of a return next year are slim.

"I doubt if we'll be able to get it back next year because it's on a tour and we can only get it at certain times," he said.

In all, Poe said organizers were pleased with attendance and the variety of attractions offered at the fair. All of the grandstand events posted strong attendance totals, he said, with the demolition derby topping all events.

"We were very pleased with the attendance," he said. "Everything was just awesome."