State fair gets final sendoff

After 12 days, Alaska State Fair officials could finally take a deep breath and relax Tuesday morning, as the first day after the fair brought with it an optimistic look at the 2003 fair.

While attendance figures haven't been released yet, Alaska State Fair General Manager Joe Lawton said there are early signs that the fair was a rousing success.

"From the revenue reports that have trickled in so far, it looks like we've had a slight increase," Lawton said. "While the attendance is one of the last things we can account for, anecdotally, I can say it was a good fair."

Giving people a reason to come to the fair -- as if the food and rides isn't enough -- is a challenge the Alaska State Fair met once again this year. Fairgoers lauded the fair for the wide variety of entertainment, attractions and exhibits they encountered this year.

"It seemed like it was bigger this year than it has been. There was something going on every day that we would have liked to see, so it made choosing which days to come harder," said Ron Atree, who made it to the fair on Sunday with his wife and three children. It was the second day the Atrees visited the fair. "We brought the kids last week for the [American Hi-Fi] concert and the rides, and then we came back today to do everything else, like see the exhibits, see the animals. You almost can't do everything in a day."

Some of the younger set enjoyed the "extreme nature" of this year's fair.

"The X-Jam and the Blue Monkey Sideshow were two of my favorites," said 17-year-old Joshua Franklin, who said he came to the fair three times this year, about the same number of times he has come in the past.

Franklin said another big hit for him was the "Home Grown" concert that featured Anatomy of a Ghost and The Roman Candles, two bands that are full of former Mat-Su Valley residents.

"It's cool, because they all came back to where they got their start," Franklin said. "The fair needs to do more stuff like that. There's a lot of cool bands out here that kids will go see, but they don't get a chance."

Having paid events like the concerts, motocross and sideshows is what keeps a busy schedule at the fair.

"People are subsidizing the different events, and they are showing they can support them if we bring them up, which is good," Lawton said. "It's our goal to have lots of different things going on, if they are available and if we can support them."

Atree said that with a family, he can afford one of the paid events -- in addition to the normal fair costs -- for his family.

"We sat outside the Borealis Theatre while [American Hi-Fi] played and waited for our kids," Atree said. "We'd like to do more, but we're already down a hundred bucks just getting into the fair. It isn't feasible for us to hit come every day and do everything."

Many times, weather plays an important role in the attendance numbers of the fair. This year, there were only two really sunny days -- the first Friday and Labor Day -- but weather didn't play a huge role this year. Despite colder temperatures and some raindrops on most of the 12 days, people showed up and had fun, Lawton said.

"There were mornings when I woke up and saw the weather and thought it would be slow, and by 5, 6 o'clock that night, the fairgrounds were packed with people," Lawton said. "It flatters us to realize that people will show up regardless of the weather."

Lawton evaluates every aspect of the fair, from the entertainment lineup to how smoothly the parking situation goes.

"Even on fireworks nights, we were able to get people out of the fair and onto the highway in a pretty quick manner," Lawton said.

"That's important, because that's the last thing people take with them when they leave the fair. You don't want them going home remembering what a hassle it was to leave the parking lot," he added.

Lawton said the fair will release the official attendance numbers when they become available. Last year, just over 300,000 people attended the fair, which mirrored the 2001 numbers.