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UP State Fair enjoys another strong year

Jim Delmont, owner of Croatian Chicken, prepares chicken at the U.P. State Fair last week. (Jordan Beck/Daily Press photo)

ESCANABA — According to people involved with the Upper Peninsula State Fair, 2018 was another strong year for the week-long event. This year’s fair officially ended Sunday.

Executive Director of the Delta County Chamber of Commerce Vickie Micheau said while fair attendance varied from day to day, this year’s average attendance numbers were strong.

“Monday was the best opening day we’ve experienced in the last five years. Attendance dipped on Tuesday and Wednesday, and thankfully, we gained back our losses on Thursday and that trend continued through the end of the fair. When the final figures are calculated, we expect 2018 to be another record-breaking year,” Micheau said.

Micheau noted the dip in attendance early in the week was due in large part to weather.

“Tuesday and Wednesday’s weather wasn’t fair-friendly. High temperatures, humidity and (threat) of rain likely caused a slight drop in attendance,” she said.

However, a variety of factors helped to offset this.

“A supportive community, quality entertainment, vendors, partners, sponsors, (and) exhibitors all had a positive influence on attendance,” Micheau said.

Along with these factors, several different events played a role in boosting attendance numbers Thursday.

“The groundbreaking of the new building followed by the Veteran’s Award ceremony, Governor’s Luncheon and Hanson concert all contributed to a record-breaking Thursday for the fair and Skerbeck Entertainment Group,” Micheau said.

Niki Skerbeck, vice president of Skerbeck Entertainment Group, said things went well on the midway at this year’s fair. She noted that the warm, sunny weather seen for the majority of the week boosted business.

“The weather’s been a friend of ours,” she said.

Skerbeck also said that one of the newest rides at the fair has been particularly successful.

“Our new ride, Top Gun, has been extremely popular,” she said. Skerbeck Entertainment Group received this ride — which is about 120 feet tall and flips riders around and upside down — last month.

In addition to Top Gun, Skerbeck said classic family rides such as the Tilt-A-Whirl and the giant Ferris wheel have attracted many riders at this year’s fair.

Robert Micheau, executive director of Visit Escanaba, said that — in addition to its healthy attendance numbers — the U.P. State Fair attracted a great deal of attention online this year.

“There’s been a lot of activity online, especially social media, with people sharing their pictures and their experiences of the fair,” he said.

According to Robert Micheau, a Facebook event page for the 2018 U.P. State Fair had reached about 400,000 people as of Friday.

“That really shows the high level of interest in the fair,” he said.

To continue reaching out to the U.P. State Fair’s fans online, Robert Micheau said a company has been taking 360-degree photographs of the fairgrounds. These photos will be used to create a “virtual tour” of the fair.

“We’re really embracing all the people online that are showing so much interest in the fair,” he said.

Fairgoers had an opportunity to participate in an economic survey during this year’s fair. Vickie Micheau stated that the survey had a better response than was expected, and that the findings of the survey will be shared with the public in the future.

“We look forward to sharing the final information with the public once the data has been compiled and analyzed by our partners in this project, Michigan State University,” she said.

Skerbeck said she was glad to be able to have a presence at the U.P. State Fair once again in 2018.

“We’re always thrilled to be back in Escanaba — it’s our hometown, and we want to do our hometown proud,” she said.

Planning for next year’s fair already began months ago, Vickie Micheau said.

“The Authority will be celebrating the 10th Anniversary of independence and growth and we look forward to offering the best fair experience ever,” she said.

Jordan Beck can be reached at jbeck@dailypress.net.

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