Source: NCDA&CS, 9/16/13

As the 2013 N.C. Mountain State Fair came to a close Sunday night, fair organizers had many reasons to celebrate, including a record-breaking attendance. The 20th fair entertained 191,596 people during its 10-day run at the WNC Agricultural Center. The previous record was 187,819, set in 2007.

"We had a great lineup of attractions this year, from agricultural favorites like the livestock shows and Mooternity Ward to new acts such as Sea Lion Splash,” said fair manager Matt Buchanan. “It also didn’t hurt that we had 10 days of beautiful weather. It’s nice to set a record, but our goal every year is to make sure that everyone who comes to the fair has a good time.”

 While the record attendance is the number fair officials are most proud of this year, here are some other numbers that may surprise visitors to the 2013 Mountain State Fair:
•      23,381 — total number of ribbons, banners and rosettes ordered;
•      1,543 — total number of trophies ordered;
•      7,874 — total number of entries in the general exhibits and cooking contests;
•      4,069 — total number of entries in livestock competitions;
•      900 — bales of straw ordered to feed livestock;
•      24,000 — number of samples of cheese and other dairy products given away at N.C. Dairy Products booth;
•      1,200 — number of pounds of barbecue prepared at Choo Choo Barbecue, the 2013 Best Commercial Display winner;
•      1,290 — number of free woodturning projects completed at the Carolina Mountain Woodturners exhibit;
•      75 — number of dozens of Krispy Kreme doughnuts used to make Krispy Kreme Burgers and Krispy Kreme Sloppy Joe’s during the fair;
•      12 — number of cows born in Mooternity Ward during the fair;
•      1 — number of llamas born at the fair.

The dates for the 2014 N.C. Mountain State Fair are Sept. 5-14. For more information on other events held throughout the year at the WNC Ag Center, go to www.mountainfair.org.