Spencer, Iowa — The numbers are coming in on the 2023 Clay County Fair.
They show preliminary fairgoer spending on food, beverage, specialty concessions and carnival rides was at an all-time high of a little more than $3.11 million, breaking the previous record set in 2022. GoldStar Amusements reported single-day records for carnival ride revenue on the last weekend of the fair, with an all-time single-day record set on September 16th.
Overall attendance at this year’s fair was off slightly from last year. 318,678 attended this year, a drop of two percent from 2022. It was the second year in a row that more than 300,000 people attended the fair.
16,097 people attended grandstand shows this year. The top two events were Jo Dee Messina and Diamond Rio on September 14th and the Outlaw Truck and Tractor Pull Season Championships on September 17th.
Courtesy fellow Community First Broadcasting stations KUOO in Spirit Lake/Y100 in Spencer
