Colorado State Fair winds down Monday in Pueblo
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- Organizers say that hot, wet weather during the 11 days of the 151st State Fair shouldn't stop them from approaching the attendance record of 500,000.
"If it's slow Monday, we'll still be fine," said Scott Soller, in his sixth year as the fair's general manager. "But we're expecting a good crowd tonight. We have all those folks who bought those $1.51 tickets some 100 days go, and they're still out there. So I'm sure those folks are still out there chomping at the bit, ride the rides and use those tickets.And we sold 66,000 of those."
Monday was another hot day at the fair, with temperatures in the mid-90s and visitors taking advantage of several ways to cool off -- in air-conditioned buildings, under tents spraying cool mists of water, or sitting on benches in shady areas.
A moderate breeze provided some relief, as well -- but not for 60 outdoor food vendors he started sweating earlier as they scrambled to prepare for the 11 a.m. opening.
One of them is first-timer Candice Thibodeaux, who operates a food station with her family on the midway.
"And we love the mountains and the cool weather -- compared to the heat, for sure," she said. "But the heat's going to be here today. It's a different type of heat. Y'all don't have humidity, we do."
Also making their first trip to the fairgrounds was a Colorado Springs family who decided you just can't beat the heat of a hot, late summer day in Pueblo.
"We're actually newcomers to Colorado Springs," said mother Katie Buie. "We had done the Minnesota State Fair before, so we're kind of doing a little bit of a comparison, to see if it's anything like where we came from."
Fair organizers said that investing in the fairgrounds should pay off with increased attendance -- a five-acre plaza replacing old asphalt with concrete walkways, grass and trees opened last year.
"Our next phase is to expand our animal pavilion where we do animal shows," Stoller said. "That will cost around $40 million and take five years."
Stollers said that both facilities are available to rent for other events throughout the year.
The fair ends Monday night at 11 p.m.
