Life

Fair boasts record crowd, 13 newborns

By Bill Moss, Published: September 16, 2013

FLETCHER — Nice weather helped the 2013 N.C. Mountain State Fair draw a record crowd. The final count was 191,596 people, 75 dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts used for Krispy Kreme burgers and 13 newborns.

This year's 10-day run at the WNC Ag Center broke the previous high of 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," fair manager Matt Buchanan said in a news release. "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."

Here are some other statistics about 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.