S. C. STATE FAIR ATTENDENCE DOWN!

Fair Attendance Down; Not Just Because of Weather

Columbia (WLTX) - State Fair officials say attendance is down so far this year, compared to this time last year.
General Manager Gary Goodman says as of Monday night, 177,960 had attended.

That's down more than 22,000 from 2008.He attributes the slow attendance to three things: the weather, the economy, and the swine flu.

Goodman says this year, there were four cold and rainy days in the first six days, compared to only two last year.
"We came today because it was cold yesterday and today it was warming up a bit," said fairgoer James Couser. The Sumter County man doesn't let many things stop him from going to the fair: he's been 40 years in a row!

The Hutto family started their day bright and early at 10 a.m. and stayed until after dark. They say the key to getting through changing temperatures throughout the day is layers.The economy is one thing that almost kept them home this year, though."We were able to do it though. For the kids, we did what we could," said Jenny Hutto, mother of two.One thing she says didn't stop her was the threat of swine flu. She says her family is pretty healthy, and she made sure her two young sons washed their hands enough throughout the day.

Goodman says a slow start to the fair could affect profitability.

Because 85%-90% of the fair's yearly income comes in during these two weeks, he says less money could affect future programs. Those being projects like improvements to the grounds.

While the overall sales at the fair might be down, one place that has seen it's fair share of people is the hot chocolate stand."We ran out the other night of hot chocolate, cappuccino, and we had to order more coffee!" said Tonya Adams