The Rockingham County Fair Association announced Sunday that the 2014 Fair set a new, all-time attendance record both for its single-day take on Saturday and for the week as a whole.
Preliminary figures indicate 20,041 people attended the Fair on Saturday, the largest single-day crowd in its 65-year history.
“I commend the local civic organizations that are part owners of the Fair and thank all the volunteers. One of the reasons this Fair is successful is because of our total community support,” said Rockingham County Fair Association President Donnie Liskey.
The 2014 Fair concluded with three consecutive record-breaking days:
– Thursday, August 14 was the biggest Thursday in the history of the Fair (16,838)
– Friday, August 15 was the biggest single day in the history of the Fair (18,176)
– The very next day, Saturday, August 16 was the (new) biggest single day in the history of the Fair (20,041)
Total attendance for the week came in at 91,595 – a 3% increase from the 88,885 attending last year. The theme for the 2014 Fair was “Year of the Farm Family.”
“We had a great week in the barn complex with tremendous support from the business community for the livestock sale on Friday. We greatly appreciate everyone’s efforts to promote young people involved with agriculture,” said RCFA Vice-President Brian Carpenter.
Daily attendance for 2014
- Pre-Fair 3,451
- Monday 6,577
- Tuesday 13,119
- Wednesday 13,393
- Thursday 16,838
- Friday 18,176
- Saturday 20,041
Total for the Week: 91,595 (new all-time weekly attendance record)
“After a rainy and slow start to the week, we really ended on a bang with more than 20,000 people attending the Fair on Saturday. I want to express my appreciation to our staff and the hundreds of volunteers who helped out all week long,” said RCFA General Manager Jeff Ishee.