Published: August 27, 2008 11:03 pm         

State Fair of W.Va. deemed a success

Almost 200,000 enjoyed the nine-day event, manager says

LEWISBURG — State Fair of West Virginia manager Marlene Pierson-Jolliffe deemed the 2008 event “a resounding success.”

“We were very nervous about our weak economy and the reality of high gas prices, and made diligent efforts to streamline and reduce costs,” Pierson-Jolliffe said in a news release. “We did not reduce our marketing or free entertainment budgets and it paid off.”

She said “2008 will go down in the books as one of the best fairs in a long, long, time. Great weather, non-stop entertainment and a desire from fairgoers to have a good time kept the fairgrounds alive with energy throughout the entire week.”

Fair officials said projected attendance figures remained unchanged from 2007 at 190,000 to 195,000 for the nine-day fair. However, approximately “3,000 or so” fewer concert tickets were sold in 2008. Advanced gate sales also decreased this year.

Other numbers released were:

- Paid gate increased 5 percent.

- Carnival revenue increased 12 percent.

- Unaudited food vendor reports increased 6.8 percent.

“Numbers don’t tell the whole story,” Pierson-Jolliffe said. “The 2008 State Fair of West Virginia showcased the best of our state and gave families a chance to celebrate, enjoy the story of agriculture and have fun all at the same time. Our operating costs have increased significantly and the majority of our revenue comes from the nine-day fair. We and the hundreds of businesses who are part of our operation are feeling much better now that we’ve got this 2008 fair in the bag.”

The 2009 fair is scheduled for Aug. 14-22.

— E-mail:

cgiggenbach@register-herald.com