BANGOR – Attendance at this year’s Bangor State Fair increased an estimated 15 percent, compared with last year, the fair’s director said Wednesday.

An estimated 60,000 people entered the Bass Park gates during the Aug. 3-7 fair, 8 percent to 9 percent higher than the 2001 to 2004 average, said Bass Park Director Mike Dyer.

The fair collected approximately $230,000 from admission fees, and the midway rides set a record, bringing in more than $433,000 – of which the fair keeps $153,000.

Adult admission this year was $6.

As gas prices and the summer temperatures were on the rise last week, many vendors feared that their investments in the fair would be in vain.

“We felt it was very successful if you measure all the things, public perception, feedback, lack of real problems and weather,” Dyer said. “Bottom line, it was a very successful run and overall we’re very happy.”

Dyer attributes much of the fair’s success this year to the entertainment.

“I tried to spend a lot of time in the information [center],” Dyer said. “Everybody wanted to know where the lion and tiger show, the alligator show and the BMX bike shows were being held. People came to the fair looking for those things, with specific goals in mind.”

Last year, then-Councilor Gerry Palmer, who chaired the panel’s business and economic development committee, cited lagging attendance, saying, “We really need to shake the fair up.”

On Wednesday, the panel’s current chairman, Councilor Dan Tremble, said he believes the new entertainment may have been the answer to Palmer’s concerns.

“I think it’s good they tried to do new exhibits that would attract new people,” Tremble said. “Trying to bring in new exhibits has worked – anything we can do to bring new things to the town is great.”

Although the fair attracted a wide range of people from various areas, including out of state, at least one local business found the 10-day fair to be a challenge.

Bangor Raceway OTB, owned by Penn National Gaming Inc., the company that is building a racing casino in Bangor, is located under the grandstand in Bass Park, and the mayhem of the fair created a lot more traffic and a lot less parking for the regular customers.

The fair “increased our food and beverage sales, but we noticed a negative impact on our racing handle,” Jon Johnson, general manager of Bangor operations, said Wednesday. “It was difficult for our local betters to get in and out of the track with all the other traffic and parking” problems.

“The fair is a very positive event for the community, so even if we had a slight [decrease] in our business, what’s good for Bangor is good for all of us,” Johnson said.