SALEM, Ore. — Scorching temperatures and smoky skies are being blamed for a decline in attendance at this year’s Oregon State Fair.
Officials say attendance fell by about 10 percent from 2016 and there were accompanying decreases in sales. Food and beverage revenue dropped 4.5 percent from the year before and revenue from carnival rides fell by almost 9 percent.
The 152nd edition of the fair ended on a record-hot Labor Day. The temperature topped 90 degrees on seven days of the 11-day fair, and people were warned to stay inside because of poor air quality.
Fair spokesman Dan Cox says this year was a reminder that Mother Nature can shred the best of plans. But, he says, the show went on with all the “flair and fun Oregonians have come to expect.”
The youngest ribbon winner was a 3-year-old girl. The oldest was 93-year-old Millie Estrin, who won a blue ribbon for her green acorn squash.
