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State Fair attendance likely lower than past years

Posted at 11:45 AM, Oct 15, 2012
and last updated 2012-10-15 11:45:11-04

RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) – Attendance numbers at the State Fair of Virginia will likely be down compared to past years when official numbers are released later this month, according to Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Vice President of Communications Greg Hicks. The Virginia Farm Bureau Federation partnered with Tennessee-based Universal Fairs LLC to run the fair after its previous owner filed for bankruptcy this year.

Hicks said the rough attendance estimate for the 2012 State Fair of Virginia was in the 160,000 – 200,000 range. He added he was not sure how attendance was calculated in the past. According to articles in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, 270,000 people attended the fair in 2011, 227,000 attended in 2010.

“We’re definitely already talking about ways to make the 2013 State Fair bigger and better,” Hicks said in an emailed statement. “It’s been tremendous to see how many people turned out and how many were pleased that the fair is still in operation. We’re grateful to everyone who came to the fair and then took time to give us feedback.”

The State Fair of Virginia ran from Sept. 28 thru Oct. 7 at The Meadow Event Park in Caroline County.