State fair attendance up more than 9 percent

PALMER — Attendance took a big bounce — up about 9.5 percent — during the 75th anniversary of the Alaska State Fair in 2011.

Overall attendance for 2011 was 308,572 and total paid attendance was 228,584. Total overall attendance for 2010 was 290,119 and total paid attendance for 2010 was 215,795. Overall attendance for 2009 was 289,615 and total paid attendance was 216,719.

Looking forward, state fair marketing director Dean Phipps said the fair is pursuing upgrades to its aging sewer system and critical upgrades to the Farm Exhibits roof.

“The fair is currently exploring funding resources for these projects, which are essential to accommodate future growth,” he said.

Here are some of the 2011 highlights:

• Attendance — General Manager Ray Ritari attributed the 9.5 percent increase to dry weather, concert popularity, social media and the season ticket package, which included parking passes. The best day for fair gate ticket sales was the first Sunday, when 25,195 fairgoers purchased tickets at the gate; the lowest day for ticket sales at fair gates was Aug. 31, when only 3,806 tickets were sold.

• AT&T Concert Series — A total of 28,720 tickets were purchased for the 2011 AT&T Concert Series, resulting in a 40.5 percent increase in paid concert attendance. There were two sell-out shows: Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion Summer Love Tour and OneRepublic, which set a new record for ticket sales revenue at a single concert. Queensryche, Chevelle, Craig Morgan, Foghat, Charlie Daniels Band, Rat Pack Revue, Uncle Kracker, Colbie Caillat, Staind, and Gabriel Iglesias also took to the Borealis Theatre stage at the 2011 Fair.

• Food and Fun — A total of 470 vendors, including 67 food vendors, set up shop at the 2011 Fair. Fairgoers enjoyed a total of 33 kegs of the official Alaska State Fair beer, Denali Brewing Company’s Single Engine Red, at venues including the new Jolly Roger Pub. And carnival revenue was up 9 percent in 2011.

• Exhibiting Talent — Exhibit entries totaled 8,793, an increase of 8.8 percent over 2010. More than 2,050 exhibitors showed off their talents in categories including art, arts and crafts, canning, clay arts, fiber and fleece, handwork and needlework, honey and beekeeping, photography, sewing, woodworking, quilts, poultry and rabbits, baked goods, crops, flowers, spirited beverages, and open livestock. They were recognized with 6,000 ribbons and $24,562 in premiums.

• Breaking Records — J.D. Megchelsen of Nikiski set a new state record at the 2011 fair with his 1,278-pound pumpkin. The 4-H Junior Market Livestock Auction also set a new record this year when a steer raised by one of the youth participants went for a grand total of over $17,000!

• Recycling Program — Volunteers for the fair’s recycling program collected 18.41 tons of material, including plastic, glass, mix paper, aluminum, cardboard, office paper and steel cans. In 2010, volunteers collected 18.58 tons of recyclable materials.

• Flowers, Flowers Everywhere —The green thumbs in the fair gardening department produced 37,000 plants this year from seeds and vegetable cuttings. The flowers were used to fill the fair’s Children’s Garden, three main gardens, 28 flower beds, 170 whiskey barrels, 200 hanging baskets and for an 8-foot tall, marigold-filled display of the number 75, in honor of the fair’s 75th birthday.

• Raven’s People — Fair organizers brought people from across the state to this year’s Raven’s People: Celebrating Alaska’s Native Cultures program, the largest celebration of Alaska Native culture ever at the fair. In addition to the 200 Alaska Natives who took part in Raven’s People, approximately 3,000 local Alaska performers also participated.

A $150,000 grant from the state of Alaska helped the fair share dance groups such as the King Island Dancers and performances by professional storyteller, actor, writer and teacher Jack Dalton. The program also featured meet and greets with Flying Wild Alaska’s Ariel Tweto and Luke Henderson and Alaska’s Iditarod legends, including this year’s winner John Baker. Special treats included demonstrations on traditional foods/contemporary cooking by Tlingit chef Rob Kinneen, an exhibit of Dena’ina Athabascan fish wheel craftsmanship, Inupiaq skin sewing lessons, qivuit fiber (musk oxen wool) spinning and knitting, and more.

• Improvements and Innovations — The Don Sheldon Events Center sported a new roof at the 2011 fair, made possible by a generous $138,000 grant from the Rasmuson Foundation. Now, the facility can be used more, such as hosting this year’s popular Outback in Alaska and Birds Down Under display.

This year the fair also introduced its first mobile app, in partnership with Alaska App. The new feature included GPS locations of each of the venues, facilities and food booths, as well as a schedule of events for each day of the fair.

For more information, visit alaskastatefair.org or contact Dean Phipps, fair marketing director, at 746-7153 or dean@alaskastatefair.org.