In down year, crowd turns out for Arkansas State Fair's finale

Fairgoers enjoy a spin on the Yolo ride on the last day of the Arkansas State Fair on Sunday in Little Rock.
Fairgoers enjoy a spin on the Yolo ride on the last day of the Arkansas State Fair on Sunday in Little Rock.

In between rides on the fun slide and a child-size carnival car, 1-year-old Zaria Malik sat in her mother's arms and marveled at a police helicopter circling the Arkansas State Fair.

She pointed toward the sky and yelled in amusement at the booming aircraft above.

"She likes the helicopter more than anything," said her father, Zakaullah Malik, 25.

The fair ended its 10-day run Sunday, but not before attendees enjoyed the taste of fried carnival foods and the sights and sounds of the fair one more time.

Although the food court tables were packed midday Sunday, Ralph Shoptaw, Arkansas State Fair general manager, said he expects the total attendance this year to come in under last year's record of 473,106 people.

"We're probably not going to meet that record or beat that record," he said.

[PHOTOS: 2016 Arkansas State Fair]

Shoptaw said he's pleased with the attendance this year but expects the total for 2016 to come in at around 440,000 or 450,000 people.

Through Saturday, the fair had seen an approximately 4 percent decrease in the number of attendees compared with the same time frame last year. Last year's fair attracted 429,900 people through its ninth day, while this year's fair only drew 411,817 people through Saturday.

Rainy weather during the start of this year's fair could have lowered the figures for the event, Shoptaw said.

Even with the down figures, he estimated a strong attendance Sunday and said food vendors have been pleased with the sales numbers.

"With the weather as pretty as it is -- not too hot, not too cool -- I think we'll have a really good day today," he said Sunday.

Anthony Hines took advantage of the sunny weather Sunday by digging into a pork chop before exploring the fair grounds with his family.

He had a number of other favorite fair foods he wanted to check out before leaving for the day -- cotton candy, turkey legs and taffy, he said.

His wife, Yolanda, said they attended the fair when they were dating and continued to attend years later with their kids.

"We made it just in time," she said. "We weren't going to miss it."

Yolanda Hines still keeps a souvenir fair T-shirt with their names on it, something they picked up when they were younger.

Susan and Don Kinney also spent their afternoon enjoying fair food and the carnival atmosphere.

Don, who has been going to the fair for decades, said the jumbo corn dogs are a must-get at the fair, while Susan said she planned on visiting the animal zoo.

"I'm hoping I get to see the kangaroo," she said.

With so much of the fair taking place outdoors, Shoptaw said, rainy or cold weather can discourage people from attending and can lead to lower sales figures for vendors.

The 10-day fair, he said, makes up 70 percent to 75 percent of the Arkansas Livestock Show Association's yearly revenue.

"You can see how the week has an effect on our year-round operation," he said.

Metro on 10/24/2016

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