YORK, Pa. — The 2023 York State Fair is in full swing, as thousands of people packed the park for opening weekend.
“It seems like nothing has changed; it has remained so vibrant," said Elikana Njeli, who was at the York Fairgrounds with his two sons.
“You’ve got the food, you’ve got the animals, what more could you need," said Maura Schmidt, who traveled from Virginia to visit the York State Fair.
Clear skies and milder temperatures greeted guests as they entered the fairgrounds on Saturday afternoon. Fairgoers said the weather is a welcome relief from the heat and humidity seen throughout South Central PA in recent weeks.
“It’s a perfect day for the York Fair," said Hannah Downey. "It’s sunny but breezy, and not too hot, it’s perfect.”
Last year, only 353,077 people attended the 10-day event. That was a 34 percent drop from 2021.
Vendors and fairground officials said the extreme heat was to blame.
“It was terrible last year because it was too hot," said Rose Wuchter, who runs a food stand during the York State Fair. "A lot of old people wouldn’t come out during the daytime.”
“The first weekend, we, unfortunately, got hit with a pretty decent heatwave," said Montgomery Stambaugh, a spokesperson with the York State Fair.
Stambaugh said the milder weather should encourage more people to come to the fairgrounds and help get attendance close to what it was a few years ago.
“We’re aiming for somewhere around 400 to 500 thousand," said Stambaugh. "We were at 350 last year, so anything above that is always a good thing.”
You can learn more about the York State Fair here.