Bout of hot weather holds down State Fair attendance

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Screen Shot 2016-08-04 at 4.20.29 PMDespite the record-breaking heat, the 2016 Delaware State Fair reported  262,587 fairgoers down 15 percent from last year.

Compared to last year when the fair was blessed by a healthy dose of fair-friendly weather, the 2016 Fair was held during the summer’s most significant heat wave to-date.

The 97th Delaware State Fair saw a steady stream of National Weather Service issued heat advisories and experienced heat indices more than 100° for seven out of the 10 days.

Conditions improved toward the end of the fair, which drew close to record setting crowds.

Fair General Manager Bill DiMondi indicated that he couldn’t remember it being so hot for such an extended period. He went on to joke that “perhaps our slogan should have been revised to say find your ‘slice of hot summer fun’ in order to be more accurate.” “With a fair or major outdoor event being held on the Del-Mar peninsula during the last 10 days of July, you expect extremes in weather. However, this year was clearly one for the records” DiMondi continued.

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Most of the patrons scheduled their visits in the evenings when temperatures were more moderate. “We were prepared for the heat”, DiMondi said. “With the cooperation of The Wade Shows, the carnival provider, a whole bunch of food vendors on the grounds and all our competitive exhibit departments, we created many shaded spots for families to rest. Cool zones with patron seating opportunities in many of the air-conditioned exhibit buildings were prepared and identified for use by overheated patrons looking to cool down and rehydrate.”

Assistant General Manager and Director of Sponsorship Development Danny Aguilar expressed his appreciation to the many sponsors whose support for the Fair allows for an unforgettable experience for the almost 300,000 annual fair visitors.

Aguilar stated, “The M&T Bank Grandstand continues to play a crucial role in bringing nationally recognized entertainment to the Delmarva Peninsula. The Fair is extremely proud and genuinely appreciative in announcing the successful conclusion of discussions with M&T Bank that will result in M&T Bank signing on for another 5 years as title sponsor of the M&T Bank Grandstand.”

Nick Lambrow, President of M&T Bank’s Delaware Region stated, “As the leading bank in the state, we are proud to support The Delaware State Fair, the single largest attraction in Delaware and which has such a positive impact on the lives of so many Delawareans who attend or exhibit at the Fair.”

Lambrow continued, “We have sponsored the State Fair for nearly 25 years, and this new agreement will extend our support through 2021. M&T looks forward to continuing our role in bringing top-level entertainment to the M&T Bank Grandstand and enriching the quality of life of hundreds of thousands of fans who come from all over the Delmarva Peninsula.”

The Delaware State Fair scheduled a first-ever pre-fair concert featuring country headliner Jake Owen who played to a nearly sold-out crowd.

The stage was also set for the very successful second year run of The Delaware State Fair’s Craft Beer Festival which featured music from nationally renowned Blues Traveler and the regional band Lower Case Blues. The Craft Beer Festival brought in 60 separate craft brews from 20 different breweries, both local and national, for the tasting and ended the night with fireworks presented by M&T Bank.

George Thorogood and the Destroyers with The Fabulous Thunderbirds made a  return to his home state of Delaware when he entertained an enthusiastic crowd on Friday July 29th   Never having played below the canal; Thorogood indicated his delight in playing the fair noting that it took him nearly 40 years to get downstate. During his encore, Thorogood said that he would love to continue an annual tradition of playing at the fair.

On the carnival side, The Wade Shows provided 58 rides and attractions with several new and recently refurbished rides making their first ever appearance in Harrington. The carnival is not immune to the effects of the temperatures and as a result, their gross was down 16 percent compared to 2015.

The fair extensively used such platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, as well as the Delaware State Fair App (available on both iOS and Android smartphones). The return of the Fair’s mobile app allowed us to reach over 4,000 fairgoers and highlight weather alerts, contests, livestock information and other daily happenings.

Aguilar commented on the various promotions the Fair utilizes to offer substantial discounts to the public, “The continued in-store pre-Fair Walgreens promotion offering discounted gate admission tickets and ride wristbands at over 75 Walgreens locations in Delaware, as well as Maryland’s lower eastern shore, gave our patrons even greater access to affordable ways to enjoy their experience here at the Fair.” Participation in the Walgreens promotional program more than doubled from last year. Aguilar continued “we hope to continue to bring patrons great savings while continuing to offer the highest level of entertainment at the Fair.”

Competitive and livestock exhibits continued to reign supreme at this year’s Fair and remained a huge attraction to the young and old alike. This year 37,000 exhibits were entered by 3,202 exhibitors. 2016 saw a slight increase in the number of animals exhibited at the Fair with 3,251 animals calling the Fairgrounds home for the last 10 days of July.

The fair dates for the 2017 Delaware State Fair are Thursday, July 20, 2017 through Saturday, July 29, 2017.

 

 

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