Volunteers, cool weather made the fair a success

WILLMAR -- As the Kandiyohi County Fair wrapped up Saturday, organizers said it was another great year.

"Everything has gone so smoothly," said Cheryl Johnson, secretary of the fair.

Johnson and Tom Gustafson, president of the fair, attributed the success of the fair to all the volunteers who help make it happen.

"It takes so many people to run the fair," Johnson said.

"Cheryl and I are just a small, small part," Gustafson added. There are so many volunteers; we can't thank them enough, he added.

The fair began with entry day on Tuesday ahead of the official opening Wednesday at the fairgrounds in north Willmar.

Although to some early fair-goers the attendance appeared to be down, organizers said the attendance was about the same as previous years.

During the day, we were down, but you could tell when people got off work, Gustafson said.

The fairgrounds quickly filled in the evenings as people made their way to the fair after work and early fair-goers stuck around to see the other musical performances and grandstand events.

Gustafson and Johnson said they were thankful for the cool weather all week, which allowed people to enjoy the fair longer.

"It's been great because people will stay and eat and enjoy the music," Johnson said. It was great fair weather.