Missouri State Fair crowd up about 12 percent from last year

SEDALIA, Mo. -- Missouri State Fair officials say they expect attendance at this year's fair to be up about 12 percent over last year.

Fair officials announced attendance estimates and grandstand sales Monday.

The Sedalia Democrat reported that attendance estimates for the first three days of the fair showed a 15 percent increase, with about 49,150 fairgoers on opening day.

Fair director Mark Wolfe said rain in the middle of the week depressed attendance the rest of the 11-day run. He said he's happy with a 12 percent increase in the current economic climate.

Last year, about 313,000 people attended the fair. This year's attendance is expected to be at least 353,690.

Overall, the fair is expected to make a small profit on the grandstand acts, which brought in more than $800,000.