Saying Farewell to the State Fair

A lack of rain may be bad for farmers in general, but not when they're showing off their cattle at the Maryland State Fair.

State Fair President Howard "Max" Mosner said fair attendance rose 3.5 percent, or 14,000, to 406,448. The carnival portion of the fair set single-day and seasonal revenue records.

And, best of all, it never rained.

"It was kind of an unusual fair in that we started strong. The first few days the attendance and the weather were excellent," Mosner said. "We didn't have a drop of rain the whole fair. … That hasn't happened in years and years."

Some days could have used a bit of relief. Too much sun can put just as much of a damper on a fair as rain.

"What we did get was extreme heat Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday," he said. "All those days, attendance was down. But then, Saturday, Sunday and Labor Day the weather kind of broke and we had nice cool clear days and we finished exceptionally strong."

Adding 12,000 Justin Bieber fans to the mix certainly helped. The Sunday concert, which sold out in 18 minutes several weeks ago, became the centerpiece of Labor Day Weekend.

Mosner said hosting an entertainer of Bieber's caliber was "challenging" even after a new entry system was implemented to streamline concertgoers into the infield racetrack where the concert was being held.

"That didn't work out quite as well as we hoped but I didn't have people standing in lines that were a mile long for hours, which is what would've happened if we hadn't done the wristbands," Mosner said. 

His office received a few complaints about pushing and trampling, although scores of added security staff as well as uniformed police officers kept the peace at the gates.

Planning for the fair is a year-round process. Looking forward, Mosner said few things would change regarding what the fair has to offer.

The most significant changes will allow the fair to accommodate more exhibits next year. Mosner said improvements would be made to the fair coupon book, which sold 3,000 less copies than anticipated.

"I really thought people would take to it more strongly than they did," Mosner said.

This season the fair featured a variety of big name musicians on its infield stage—a feat that even dedicated concert promoters will say is no easy task.

Securing the Bieber performance was only possible after meeting "their significant demands" and with a little bit of luck, for instance.

So can the fair top itself next year when it comes to entertainment?

"It'll be very hard," Mosner said. 

Maryland State Fair by the Numbers:

Commercial Vendors: approx. 100

Indoor Home Arts Exhibitors: 4,000 +

Livestock Exhibits (4-H and Open Class) cows, pigs, sheep, rabbits, poultry and horse exhibitors: approx. 2,000

4-H and Open Class Farm & Garden Exhibitors: 252 (who showed in multiple divisions).

4-H Indoor: 1,569 exhibits