Fair attendance ‘phenomenal'

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. — While the final count isn't in, Sallie Atkins, Nebraska State Fair board chairwoman, said, “We think we are looking at a record crowd for the opening.”

“We will have to wait and see when all the numbers come in, but it was a phenomenal crowd,” she said. “The traffic flow went pretty well for it being the first time here and learning everything as we went along.”

The size of the crowds Friday, Saturday and Sunday were larger than State Fair officials may have anticipated.

One of the things they learned from the crowded weekend, Atkins said, is that State Fair officials didn't have enough shuttle buses to bring people to the State Fair. Atkins said they had to add six buses to the remote shuttle parking to get people to the fair.

“We are trying to make it work as well as we can, and everybody was very patient about getting in here,” Atkins said.

Because the State Fair is new to Grand Island, Atkins said State Fair officials worked hard to make sure people knew their way around the fairgrounds at Fonner Park.

“We are trying to make that as user friendly as we can,” Atkins said. “We put up a lot more maps across the grounds and more information booths. We are trying to do everything we can to help people find their way around here.”

Another indicator of how well the State Fair did over the weekend was its drawing power around the state and the Midwest. Atkins said a license plate count found 30 states, along with Canada, represented at the Nebraska State Fair and all but 10 of Nebraska's 93 counties.

“That tells me that all of Nebraska is excited and so engaged in this new fair that they feel a sense of pride and ownership in it,” Atkins said.

On Monday morning, State Fair officials met with vendors, and she said the meeting was very positive.

“Their business is way up,” she said. “Their numbers were good, and they are loving the facility. All of the suggestions they had for us were helpful suggestions on how to improve in the future. It couldn't have gone better.”

In a show of hands indicating new vendors, more than a dozen hands went up, Atkins said. “That's really encouraging, too.”

One of the vendors happy over the record weekend was Lee Weide, vice president of operations for the Nebraska Cattlemen. Weide manages the Nebraska Cattlemen's popular Beef Pit Restaurant, located at the Exhibition Building next to the Sheep Barn.

Over the weekend, Weide said, they served more than 5,100 beef dinners, which averaged about a beef dinner served every six seconds. He said crowds were lined up several hundred yards from the entrance to the Beef Pit.

“That's just one establishment,” Atkins said. “It has been phenomenal.”

Other food vendors also worked hard to keep up with crowd demands of their favorite State Fair foods over the weekend. Long lines formed and 30-minute waits were not uncommon.

Also happy with weekend crowds was Charles Panacek of Longwood, Fla., who owns and operates Belle City Amusements Inc., providers of the Midway entertainment.

Panacek said business was good and crowds were up.

“We were very pleased with the crowds and attendances this first weekend,” he said. “It was very encouraging.”

Atkins said she wouldn't be surprised if the final crowd count for the fair's first Saturday was more than 50,000 people.

“People have been smiling, they have been patient, and they are so in awe of these facilities that now we just have to do our part to continue to improve service and make it better each and every year,” she said.

« Metro/Region

Share