Volusia County Fair & Youth Show reports second-highest attendance since opening in 1923

The numbers are in, and Volusia County Fair & Youth Show officials are reporting records for the annual event conducted by the nonprofit Volusia County Fair Association.

With a gate of 185,500, the 2012 fair, which was Nov. 1-11 at the Volusia County Fairgrounds, experienced its second best attendance since opening in 1923. Deggeller Attractions, the carnival provider for The Fair, saw a record year on the midway, with gross revenue increasing 6 percent over 2011. Additionally, Livestock sales totaled $167,000 (a 1.8 percent increase over 2011), plus Fair officials report an increase in the number of livestock exhibits and competitive exhibits over 2011 as well.

Additional highlights range from the concert offerings to admission discounts. The Tommy Lawrence Arena saw a full house crowd for Tracy Lawrence on November 3, and the annual food drive in which patrons exchange two canned goods for half-price gate admission collected more than 8,500 pounds of food for Second Harvest Food Bank, bringing the four-year total to more than 12 tons.