09-09-09 – 11:30 a.m. - Great weather—after a summer of weather that could easily be confused with that found in a rainforest—buoyed what officials and vendors are calling a “great” Columbia County Fair. With vendors busy in the background packing up booths, exhibits, and what was left of the rides, Columbia County Fair Manager Angelo Nero told ccSCOOP on Tuesday that the fair drew an impressive crowd. “We were up slightly over last year,” Nero said of the attendance. The 2008 fair drew approximately 65,000 visitors, and, while final numbers for the 2009 fair won’t be tabulated for two weeks or so, Nero said all indications are that attendance will be "slightly" higher. “We had excellent weather," said Nero. "That's the key."

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Nero said vendors reported strong sales, a fact that was corroborated by those interviewed by ccSCOOP. “We are ahead of last year,” Wayne Fierro, commander of the American Legion Post 42, which has sold hot dogs, chili, and soda to hungry fairgoers for decades. Christine Abitabile, seller of fried dough, also reported steady sales throughout the fair.

A visual survey of the fairgrounds throughout the six-day event found strong crowds. Wednesday and Thursday, fueled by the popular demolition derbies, drew crowds that packed the grandstand and kept food vendors busy. While country singer Chuck Wicks didn’t fill the grandstand on Friday, he did bring a strong crowd that was topped by Saturday’s combination of the Firefighter’s Day Parade and the tractor pull that packed the midway with an elbow-to-elbow crowd throughout the day. Sunday brought country headliner and hit-maker Jo Dee Messina, who packed the grandstand and track in front of the stage that evening, while filling the fairgrounds during the day. Monday—while not as sunny and warm as earlier days at the fair—nonetheless drew a steady crowd.

Another plus for the fair was that no major issues or emergencies surfaced during the event. While there were routine medical calls—bee stings and the like—there were no serious medical emergencies or police matters reported during the fair and no fires (other than those expected during demolition derby)  or fire emergencies reported, unlike last year when electrical wires caught fire to the rear of the grandstand during the tractor pull.

“All in all,” Nero concluded, “everything went real smooth.”