More than 14,000 people enjoyed the 48th annual Kiwanis Covington County Fair last week.
Club President and Fair Chairman Wayne Bennett said attendance was up a third over last year’s numbers.
“Overall, it was a really good event,” Bennett said. “Our highest attendance day was Saturday, with 3,800 people coming. In total, 14,110 people enjoyed this year’s fair.”
Bennett said he attributes the high attendance numbers to three things – fair weather, fantastic rides and outstanding entertainment.
“I think our fair board and others put forth a lot of effort in organizing this year’s fair,” he said. “It was more entertaining in all its aspects. The weather was unbelievably good – which is unusual for fair week. We had a greater number and greater variety of rides on the midway, thanks to the James Gang, and we had good quality entertainment all week long.”
Bennett said additionally, the number of commercial and non-commercial booths were up this year.
“There were many, many people that came multiple nights, so to us, that’s an indication they liked what they saw when they got there,” he said.
Bennett said the revenue generated from the event is to fund the annual mortgage payment on the Kiwanis building.
“Then, the remainder goes to community organizations and activities, the majority of which support programs for children and youth,” he said.
While Bennett wouldn’t label this year’s event as the best in club history, he did say it’s one of the top ones.
“We used to have a fair that lasted two weeks, instead of the one,” he said. “So, I can’t say that this one was the best ever, but I can say it’s the best one in several years.”