GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska State Fair officials are blaming heavy rains for a drop in attendance and revenue at this summer's fair.
The Grand Island Independent reports that fair executive director Lori Cox delivered the news Friday at a meeting of the State Fair Board.
Attendance for the Aug. 23-Sept. 2 event was 283,468, down 10% from the 314,805 who attended last year. Officials say that led to a 12% decline in gate revenue from the previous year.
Between Aug. 21 and Aug. 26, Grand Island received nearly five inches of rain. The rain not only dampened crowds in the first week of the fair, it inundated the fair's grass parking lots, forcing officials to absorb the unexpected cost of shuttling people from remote parking to the fair.