Attendance was up at this year’s Hawaii County Fair, a sign organizers say bodes well for the event’s future.
Nearly 30,000 people came out for the four-day event that ran through Sept. 24. Last year’s fair drew about 27,600 people. A typical year sees between 20,000 and 30,000 people. The highest-attended Hawaii County fairs were recorded in the 1990s, with attendance some years hitting close to 32,000, said organizer Kelton Chang on Friday.
“This year was an amazing year,” Chang said “I was quite surprised. Good weather was one of the main factors; if it rains a lot, our attendance can drop to 19,000. So it’s been a blessing.”
Earlier this year, the fair’s future was uncertain. The annual event historically was operated as a fundraiser by the Hilo Jaycees. The Jaycees have faced declining membership, Chang said, and there weren’t enough members this year to put the event together.
In an effort to keep the event afloat, Chang started the Hawaii County Fair Foundation nonprofit and signed a one-year contract with E.K. Fernandez Shows Inc. He said he thought “we’d try it and if it didn’t work out, at least we tried and we’d move on.”
“But it was such a success,” he said, adding he hopes to secure a three-year contract with E.K. Fernandez next year. “We can move forward and do it next year.”
About 14,000 people came to the fair’s 67th installment between about 6 and 8 p.m. Saturday alone, Chang said, which is more than double the usual attendance for that time. Chang said many of the food vendors ran out of food by Saturday night.
Chang said the fair is hoping to switch to a smartphone app system next year that would allow fairgoers to purchase rides and food using their phones.
This year’s card system, which allowed fairgoers to load credits onto a card in lieu of paying with cash, reportedly created some long lines.
Chang said he’s also hoping to bring in live animals next year.
“The transition has been very difficult,” Chang said. “It’s been humbling. It’s been a slow-moving process but hopefully next year we’ll be a little more set and we can do more bigger and better things and bring more organizations in.”
“The way I look at it, this was my Disneyland when I was growing up,” Chang added. “There are some families here who don’t leave this island. So they need this type of entertainment at some time in their life. There are a lot of memories made at the fair.”
Email Kirsten Johnson at kjohnson@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
