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November 18, 1999 DES MOINES, Iowa-- Not many things reach their prime at age 145, but attendance records for the Iowa State Fair in recent years show that this annual event is doing just that. The Iowa State Fair, which began in 1854 in Fairfield, takes place each August in Des Moines on the state fairgrounds. In 10 of the past 12 years, total attendance over the course of the fair has risen steadily, breaking records in 1997 and most recently in 1999, with a total attendance over 10 days of 969,523. This is a 2 1/2 percent increase over the 1997 record of 946,230, according to Marion Lucas, fair manager. Kathie Swift, Iowa State Fair marketing director, said decreases in yearly overall attendance, which have occurred four times since 1979, can probably be attributed to heat, among other factors. "It would be fun to hit 1 million one year, but we also know that the final figures don't tell the whole story," Swift said. "It doesn't mean it's not a good fair, sometimes it's just hot outside." Perhaps one of the main reasons attendance does continue to rise is because of the value a $5 gate admission ticket gives visitors. Swift said the total value of attractions at the fair is about $350,000. This includes all the competitions and exhibits, in addition to free entertainment such as up-and-coming country stars. The theme for the 1999 state fair was "Knock Yourself Out," and the attraction that drew the most spectators, Swift said, was artist Duffy Lyon's 40th anniversary butter sculpture of "The Last Supper." Lyon typically sculpts a cow and one other item out of butter each year. Even though the free entertainment and exhibits attract up to 90 percent of all visitors, Swift said attendance can be swayed somewhat by the success of grandstand events, which cost extra. "You must pay extra for grandstand events, but where else can you see Tim McGraw for $18.50?" Swift said. "Where would you see Reba McEntire for 20 bucks?" McGraw played to a sold-out grandstand this year, as did the Goo Goo Dolls and Sugar Ray with Fastball. The Iowa State Fair is a leader in the country as far as programs and entertainment, and it features the largest food department, livestock department and agricultural fair of any state. Swift said the fair's attendance ranks about 15th in the nation, but she said attendance from state to state is hard to compare because total population of the state must be taken into account. "Taking into consideration that there are about 2.7 million people who live in Iowa, a good proportion of the people go to the fair," Swift said. Higher attendance means higher revenues and ultimate benefits for the state fair; however, most situations are not without their obstacles, and the Iowa State Fair faces yearly the issue of parking as the number of visitors continues to increase. Swift said staff at the fair has already begun to meet with officials from Metropolitan Transit Authority and the Des Moines Police Department regarding ways to better handle traffic on the street and create more parking on the fairgrounds for next year. One program Swift said the fair is looking at expanding is its shuttle program with MTA, which in the past has allowed visitors to park on the state capitol grounds and ride a shuttle to the fairgrounds for 25 cents. The MTA reported the number of riders on these shuttles increased by 29 percent in 1999. In the meetings this month with the MTA, Swift said they will discuss expanding this program, which shuttles people using regular city buses, to include more areas in Des Moines. This would help create more parking spaces and cut down on problems finding a space on the fairgrounds. "[Riding the shuttle] is very inexpensive, and the fewer cars fighting to get on the fairgrounds, the better," Swift said. "Certainly there can be parking problems, but we want to improve that, and we're working on it right now." Although it is a traditional event, the Iowa State Fair has progressed over the years along with society. One fairly new feature associated with the fair is its official Web site, which was started about four years ago. The Web site (www.iowastatefair.com), which received 1 million hits during the 1999 state fair (Aug. 12-22), provides information such as a schedule of events and results of contests. Swift said the Web site also played a large role in attendance increase. This is the first year tickets have been available for purchase on the Internet. Ticket Master reported to the state fair that in the first day of ticket sales, 20 percent of Iowa State Fair tickets were purchased online. For a typical event in Iowa, about 9 percent of tickets are usually purchased online, Swift said. "Isn't it fantastic to have a 145-year-old institution promoting itself with the very latest methods?" Swift said. "We think [the Web page] gets better every year in detail and breadth." The participation aspect of the fair has also seen increase in recent years. This year there were 100 new exhibitors in the foods department. In addition, recent data shows that in 1998, 14,300 people entered nearly 50,000 entries at the fair. "The original purpose of the fair has always been to test the individual," Swift said, "to bring something to the fair and be a part of it yourself." So how then, if the population in Iowa is not dramatically increasing, does state-fair attendance continue to rise dramatically? "The population in Iowa is static, but our secret is that people come back to the fair more than once," Swift said. "This helps explain how we program events. ... The overall emphasis is on the family, and there are as many reasons to come as there are people who come." Next year's fair, appropriately titled "Zero In 10-20-2000," is already being planned for next August. |