Final rush gets fair attendance to No. 3 all time

Article by: Star Tribune
Updated: September 6, 2011 - 7:28 PM

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Fairgoers rode the Sky Glider over the crowds at the Minnesota State Fair on Sunday.

Photo: Renee Jones Schneider, Star Tribune

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Big numbers in the final two days helped the 2011 Minnesota State Fair become the third-best-attended State Fair.

Attendance Monday was 154,532, officials said Tuesday. That was far more than showed up for the final day in 2009 (126,924) or 2010 (120,226).

That followed a record-breaking Sunday, when the fair drew 229,943. It was a record for a final fair Sunday and halted a five-day skid of daily declines vs. the previous year.

The final tally for 2011 came in at 1,769,872. That's down slightly from 1,776,211 last year, and behind the record of 1,790,497 in 2009.

"When you look at the percentage decrease [of 2011 vs. 2010], it's minuscule," fair spokeswoman Brienna Schuette said. "We'd love to break records every year, but it's just not possible.

"By all measures, the 2011 fair was an incredible success."

PAUL WALSH