Bangor State Fair attracts 60,000, official declares

BANGOR – Though sweltering heat might have kept some people home, those who came to Bass Park for last week’s Bangor State Fair nearly topped last year’s record for rides.

The rides, operated by Fiesta Shows, brought in an estimated $413,000, Bass Park Director Mike Dyer said this week.

The city gets to keep 30 percent of the first $300,000 in revenue and 40 percent of income above that.

“We had the second best ride gross ever,” Dyer said, attributing a chunk of that revenue to five-ticket rides.

Fair statistics were still being tallied this week, but it appears the 157th Bangor State Fair, which ran from Friday through Sunday, drew about 60,000 visitors.

While Dyer expected to see a drop in gate income, he said part of the drop would be offset by robust income from rides, and small increases in fees for onsite parking and admission for children 12 and under, both of which went up $1.

“I don’t know if it’ll totally offset it, but it’s looking pretty good right now,” Dyer said.

Based on a five-year average, organizers expected 65,000 people to visit the fair, but the double whammy of stormy weather on the fair’s opening night and oppressive heat on one of the fair’s popular wrist-band days resulted in a drop to about 60,000, Dyer said.

According to Dyer, some of this year’s surprise hits were the racing pigs and the Mapapa African Acrobats.

Dyer said fair planners purposely placed the pigs in the fair’s agricultural area as a way to draw people from the midway, a strategy that he said worked.

Shows featuring sharks and bears also proved popular with fair-goers, he said, adding that the racing pigs have an open invitation to perform at next year’s fair.

In addition, 4-H put on the first horse show in recent history. 4-Hers vowed to return next year with a bigger and better show, Dyer said.