Organizers, vendors at State Fair report little drop-off
Mark Gormus / Times-Dispatch
Taylor Swank, 11, of Loudoun County became crossed up with her horse as she dismounted during the goat-tying event at the State Fair of Va.
SLIDESHOW: |
There was a flurry of activity throughout the Meadow Event Park yesterday as fairgoers turned out for the final day of the State Fair of Virginia.
On one side of the 348-acre site was youth rodeo, where boys and girls roped goats or tried to ride a bucking bull for eight seconds. On another, a standing room only crowd at the Thrill Pit watched as Cindy Regimald of Tinmouth, Vt., won the demolition derby rollover competition by flipping her car the most times-- one and three-quarters in the tie-breaker round.
As the 11-day State Fair came to a close at its new location in Caroline County, just off Interstate 95 near Kings Dominion, organizers and vendors reported little drop-off in business after a 63-year run in Henrico County.
The fair is on target to meet or exceed its five-year average attendance of 250,000 people, spokesman Jay Lugar said yesterday. Lugar added that exact attendance figures won't be known until later this week.
Fair organizers also report that weekday attendance increased compared with previous years when it was held at Richmond Raceway Complex, and they said more people are attending from the city of Fredericksburg and Prince William and Stafford counties. Entrance surveys are given to people to find out where they are coming from.
"We've established a very good base to grow from," said Curry Roberts, president of the State Fair. "We believe we've done a good job of expanding our geographic base."
The vendors supplying the food and entertainment haven't seen a decrease in customers. O'Brien's Food Service has been a staple at the State Fair for 43 years. As the company made the move north with the State Fair, it downsized its operation this year, leaving behind the cafeteria it has set up since the mid-1960s.
Still, people flocked in droves to one of five O'Brien's stalls that sold corn dogs, turkey legs and steak on a stick.
"We've done very well. We're very happy with the fair," said Tim O'Brien, owner of O'Brien's Food Service. "The people that came, they brought their money, and they spent their money. We did very well. I guess we have the right items."
Dale Negus, concessions manager for Deggeller Attractions, which is putting on the midway, said he has seen a change in clientele as more families attended the State Fair this year.
Others believe the rural atmosphere with plenty of green space enhances the fair, as opposed to the concrete that dominates the raceway complex. Fair spokesman Windy Campbell describes the Meadow Event Park as a natural setting for a fair.
But organizers acknowledge this has been a learning process and noticed some rough patches that need to be ironed out, such as issues with parking the cars and shuttling visitors to the main entrance.
On Saturday night, the State Fair's hours of operation were extended to accommodate people arriving late because of traffic congestion on I-95. Organizers also used overflow parking at Kings Dominion.
"So many people still coming in. . . . We wanted them to have a good experience," Lugar said.
Contact Jeremy Slayton at (804) 649-6861 or
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Reader Reactions
Sad to say, I expect next year’s fair will be an entirely different story, now that people have seen the new fair!
Food vendors were sadly lacking. both in number and variety. I don’t think I saw but one (Va Tech) civic organization with food booths this year, which was disappointing.
Entertainment was sadly lacking as well as many of the usual rides!
And as has already been mentioned, parking was horrible! Even during the middle of a Monday afternoon, the lines for trams going back to the parking area were long enough to require a 15-20 minute wait, something few people want after a day at the fair!
The old Fair is sadly missed and we will not be back next year looking for it!
My family and I attended the Fair yesterday on its last day. The rides area was an improvement over the RIR location in that it was all blacktop. This made it much easier to manuever our stroller. That said, there was a huge problem that needs fixing….PARKING. Having to pay $5 to park and then force us to drive to the far corner of the parking area and walk to the nearest tram stop was horrible. At least at RIR the parking was free. We witnessed one senior citizen having much difficulty pushing another senior in a wheel chair. Oh yes, the golf carts and state trooper cars were in abundance in the parking area but did anyone of them stop to offer these ladies assistance, NO!! If the Virginia State Fair insists on charging $5 for each car that parks at least have the decency to have the parking area paved! It was worse than horrible and I doubt that we will attend next year.
My family attended the Va State Fair Saturday. Food was fine. Our young teens were not impressed. Several rides were missing that have been around for years. Parking was awful, took us an hour to leave. Need improvement with the shuttle. They could not pick up the hundred passengers trying to get to their cars. Traffic had gridlock in parking lot. Not a good place for the handicap or senior citzens, park too hilly. Saw a couple of seniors who had turned blue and out of breathe, trying to climb the hill to see the animals and other exhibits. The kids said they are not going next year. No problem with us. At least Richmond was organized, no hills, free parking, and easy to get in & out! We will go to King’s Dominion!
I went (also for the first time in many years) on Wednesday morning. Except for the forlorn state troopers with their flashing blue lights, the place was mostly deserted.
Considering the weather was gorgeous all eleven days, the novelty of the new site should have blown the lid off the attendance targets. Needs to be more incentives to visit during the week.
My wife and I attended the state fair this year for the first time in many years. It was a much more enjoyable experience than in the past. Yes, more shuttles would have helped greatly both inside and outside the park. As for the traffic, next time take Rt 30 to 301. Always better than I-95.
I went Saturday night and I found the new site to be a great improvement. Lots more room and more modern facilities.
Just one problem - getting there and back. I was caught in a traffic jam that started on I-95 a mile and a half from the exit and continued five miles past King’s Dominion.
Going back, I had to contend with traffic LEAVING King’s Dominion.
I hope something can be done about this next year.
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