Attendance third highest ever at 2016 Kansas State Fair

Attendance at this year’s Kansas State Fair was the third highest in the event’s 104-year history, according to information released by the fair on Friday.

But it still wasn’t as high as last year’s.

Fair officials estimate that 359,808 people attended the fair, which ran Sept. 9-18 in Hutchinson. The only years more people went were in 2015, when 369,322 people passed through the gates, and 1995, when attendance was 361,647.

First-Friday rain showers might have dampened overall attendance numbers, officials speculated. Weather in 1995 and 2015 was near perfect throughout.

Next year’s Kansas State Fair will happen Sept. 8-17.

This story was originally published October 21, 2016 at 3:57 PM with the headline "Attendance third highest ever at 2016 Kansas State Fair."