BLOOMSBURG, Pa. — From packed streets to empty vendors and spots, the 169th Bloomsburg Fair has ended, and this year's attendance numbers are rolling in. 398,000 visitors came through the fairgrounds, which is up almost 15% from last year in Columbia County.
"The grounds were full, the concessions did a great job of doing that, the grandstand entertainment was awesome, we had a ton of free entertainment, and I think people come to see that as well," said Leigh Hunter, Bloomsburg Fair Treasurer.
Because of the rainy weather, some days fared better than others.
"Monday through Friday, we did struggle with showers here and there, but even though we had rain, there was a good consistent flow of people, and we ended with a good, great amount of people; it was probably, I think, around 58,000 on the last Saturday," said Hunter.
Over 6,000 premium entries were in the exhibit buildings, and over 500 animals were in all of the barns. As always, food was a top hit. Workers with Starr's Cider saw an uptick in business this year.
"The first three days were really excellent cause of the warm weather. When it's hot, people like to drink. Monday was a good day; I didn't show up 'cause I did other things; it was actually a better day than Wednesday 'cause the older people like to drink cider," said Rodger Starr, co-owner of Starr's Cider.
At Kudgee's Kitchen, even with the weather, it was a decent turnout.
"But it was six days of rain, what are you gonna do, still pleasant, still a nice turnout, everyone, everyone had a good time, sold a lot of food, put a lot of smiles on faces," said Dane York, owner of Kudgee's Kitchen.
The top items at the stand were Italian wedding soup and pigeons, which are stuffed cabbage.
"Just local, local traditional foods that my mother used to make, we do this in her memory, so the foods mom made and ate as kids, we're selling now," said York.
While some vendors are packing up and leaving, others are staying at the fairgrounds for the 42nd annual Covered Bridge Festival, which runs from October 3rd through the 6th.