A combination of factors made this year’s Crawford County Fair among the best-attended in recent memory, according to fair officials.

From the top-notch live musical acts, exhibits and entertainment to the food, free shows and thrill rides, “we had something for everyone,” Fair Board Treasurer Frederic Wagner, relaxing at home after a long week, said Sunday.

And, of course, the fact that Mother Nature smiled kindly upon the fairgrounds helped too. There was no rain all week, a stark contrast to last year when it poured most of fair week, and the bad weather pulled total attendance down to 70,600.

“The weather had a great deal to with” this year’s total paid attendance of 80,282, said Wagner.

That number doesn’t represent an all-time record, but this year “was right up there,” said Fair Board President Morris Waid, who was also taking a load off on Sunday.

Officials have said the largest-ever paid attendance on record was in 2006, with 89,997. Paid-admission figures don’t include the many thousands who enter the fairgrounds with exhibitor, vendor, booth or other passes that allow free admission. The free passes generally equal about the number who pay to get in, according to officials.

A lot of eyes had been watching the fair gates earlier in the week out of concern that the poor economy might hurt attendance. A slump in attendance could have been bad news for an economic powerhouse that sparks nearly $18 million in spending each year on goods and services of every kind, food and entertainment.

Concerns were lifted, however, as attendance numbers grew each day.

On Tuesday, for instance, a good walk-up crowd helped rock act Daughtry tally a total of 5.124 ticket sales, marking one of the largest audiences to ever take in a rock music show at the fair.

Country music superstar Toby Keith’s show on Thursday brought in a 6,000-plus crowd, and Saturday’s night-time demolition derby event was a near sell-out, said Wagner.

“We want to thank the people who supported the fair,” he said, “whether they had exhibits or came up” just to take it all in. “It was a very successful year.”

Ryan Smith can be reached at 724-6370 or by e-mail at rsmith@meadvilletribune.com.

By the numbers