By Ian Rollins
Albany Democrat-Herald | Posted: Monday, July 23, 2007 12:00 am
Mild weather brings attendance up 21 percent over last year
Linn County Fair officials are pleased with the results of the four-day fair, which ended Sunday. The weather cooperated for the most part and new acts attracted sizeable crowds, they said.
"The fair went very well," said Fair Manager Terry Wood. "Even Friday, we had rain during the Phil Vassar concert. We were down in attendance during that timeframe, but the rest of the fair was what we hoped for."
Wood said the total attendance over the four days was 25,825. He said that was up 21 percent from 2006, when the fair was plagued with temperatures above 100 degrees all four days.
"We're tickled to death," he said.
Wood didn't have revenue numbers, but he said they would be up as well. He also said all the vendors "went away smiling."
He said the Quest for the Ultimate Knight shows on Sunday and the Mutton Bustin' Saturday night were crowd pleasers. The two Ultimate Knight shows drew packed crowds, and the Mutton Bustin', which featured small kids trying to ride mature sheep, was comical to watch, he said.
The Grupo Antifaz concert Sunday was also popular. Wood said the show drew a big crowd; he didn't have numbers but County Commissioner Cliff Wooten said he counted more than 300 people watching the show.
"These are all new things we need to consider having again next year," said Wooten, liaison to the county fair board.
In other fair news:
• The second annual Tough Enough to Wear Pink campaign raised $15,000 preliminarily, but money continued to come in. The money will go toward resources at Samaritan Health Service's Cancer Resource Center in North Albany, said Evonne Walls, spokeswoman for Samaritan Albany General Hospital.
Walls said part of the money also will go toward treatment for women who might not have the money for things like prosthetics and wigs.
• Derek Cate of Albany won the KRKT Colgate Country Showdown for the third time, and the fourth time in three years. Tristan Nichols of Sweet Home took second and 12-year-old Mari Davison of Albany took third.