Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
With nine near perfect fall days the 2023 Clay County Fair was the ideal getaway location for thousands of fairgoers, Sept. 9-17.
"If you create a memorable experience, they will come," Fair CEO/Manager Jerome Hertel said in a news release. "Even a little rain shower didn't deter people from attending the fair."
For the second year in a row attendance surpassed 300,000 visitors. Overall attendance was slightly down by 2 percent at 318,678.
"More noteworthy is the fact that participation and spending remain at all-time highs," said Hertel. "Youth involvement numbers are up and fairgoers like the large variety of products and services offered at the fair."
Hertel continued that the success of the 2023 Clay County Fair can be measured by several metrics, including:
Youth Involvement
• A record 930 4-H and FFA exhibitors from 48 counties in Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska participated in livestock and human sciences events at the fair. Last year, 750 exhibitors from 46 counties participated.
• Approximately 1,300 third and fourth grade students from 15 regional schools visited the fair as part of the AgCiting and SciCiting field trip programs coordinated by ISU Extension Clay County.
Fairgoer Spending
• Preliminary fairgoer spending on food, beverage, specialty concessions, and carnival rides is at an all-time record of $3,117,143.18, breaking the previous record set in 2022.
• GoldStar Amusements set single-day records for carnival ride revenue on the last weekend of the fair, including an all-time single-day record on Saturday, Sept. 16.
Exhibitor Participation
• 461 unique commercial exhibitors, concessionaires, and vendors showcased at the fair. With at least 150 ag-specific exhibitors, the fair again hosted the largest farm machinery and ag equipment show at any fair in the United States.
• 1,263 exhibitors participated in various open class livestock and non-livestock competitions at the fair with a combined 10,278 total entries.
Attendance
• Grandstand shows attracted 16,097 fairgoers to multiple stage performances and dirt events. The Top 2 attended events were Jo Dee Messina and Diamond Rio on Thursday, Sept. 14 and the Outlaw Truck & Tractor Pull season championships on Sunday, Sept. 17.
• Overall fair attendance totaled 318,678 – a 2 percent decrease from 2022. Complete daily attendance numbers can be found at https://claycountyfair.com/about/who-we-are/.
More detailed information on the 2023 Clay County Fair powered by SMU will be made available at the Clay County Fair Association's annual meeting on Oct. 24.
"The fair was a great success and we are thankful that so many people enjoyed the fair this year," said Hertel.
