Kansas State Fair attendance, income rise

Attendance at this year's Kansas State Fair was up 10 percent over last year, and the fair brought in more money, too, fair officials said today.

A total of 350,856 people attended the fair, which was Sept. 11-20 in Hutchinson. That's an increase of 31,752 over 2008.

It was the best-attended fair since 2000, said the fair's manager, Denny Stoecklein.

Total ticket gate sales were $1,253,792 this year, up from $1,112,065 in 2008.

Stoecklein said that great weather combined with fairgoers taking healthy advantage of discount programs — a "dollar day" and discounted advanced ticket sales — might have helped boost attendance.

The 2010 fair is scheduled for Sept. 10-19.