CHENANGO COUNTY – Despite dealing with significant bouts of rain towards week’s end, the Chenango County Fair was able to proceed without any major hiccups, thanks to the staff and volunteers who facilitated the annual event.

Attendance was down from the average of 40,000 people to 35,000 at this year’s fair, and Chenango County Ag Society Mary Weidman says the decrease can be attributed to inclement weather during some of the fair’s main attractions.

“I think the bad storm on Saturday affected attendance because the storm completely surrounded us, but we had actually covered the track beforehand and we were able to still hold the tractor pull that night,” said Weidman. “It was a good turnout considering the circumstances.”

While attendance may not have been what organizers hoped, the attractions at the fair still managed to thrive at the newly renovated fairgrounds.

“We were really happy with all of the vendors,” said Weidman. “The participation from volunteers and our staff was excellent. I would say it was very well coordinated and we were very thankful for all of the people who worked it.”

Weidman says there’s still some work to be finished at the fairgrounds over the next year, but it’s internal work.

Between the renovated 1908-grandstand to the newly built exhibition hall – both of which were completed this year – Weidman says attendees and vendors alike were satisfied with the revamped venue.

“We had a lot of comments from the public about how good it looked,” said Weidman regarding the 1908-grandstand. “And the use of the new exhibition hall instead of the old one that was demolished – the lighting was good, the flood was even, and people were happy with it.”