Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Daniel Nieto, 8, of Clovis, tries to navigate his bumper car during the Saturday evening session of the Curry County Fair.
CLOVIS - Attendance at the 2021 Curry County Fair was down about 4% from the 2019 version. But organizers felt it was really a circumstance that could be blamed on the rain - two nights worth, to be precise.
"The fair went great," Events Center and Fairgrounds Manager K.C. Messick said Monday. "We started out great. Attendance, after Wednesday, was up from 2019. We were looking at record numbers, then the rain hit. Thursday and Friday was kind of a letdown, but we finished strong on Saturday."
The total attendance Wednesday through Saturday was 24,570, compared to 25,582 at the 2019 fair. The fair drew:
• 2,514 through the gate Tuesday (1,839 in 2019)
• 7,404 Wednesday (5,789 in 2019)
• 3,622 Thursday (6,164)
• 2,288 Friday (5,525)
• 8,742 Saturday (6,265)
The 2020 fair was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Saturday total likely included some who would have otherwise gone Thursday or Friday, but Messick said it was hard to know for sure.
"Maybe, maybe not,' Messick said. "It's hard to tell. In 2019, we did have concerts and a motocross, too. I was pleased with (attendance considering that), as far as it goes."
Had the fair gone rain-free and gate numbers ended up similar to 2019 totals Thursday and Friday, total fair attendance could have risen nearly 19%.
The sights and sounds were all back, with carnival rides, fried foods and gunpowder explosions from the Tumbleweed Crossing stage.
"The Tumbleweed Crossing Wild West show was a huge hit. We've had nothing but compliments on them, along with the lawn mower races," Messick said.
The races, Messick said, were moved from the outdoor Mounted Patrol Arena to the Curry County Events Center, which was free on Saturday. The center was booked Friday for the annual junior livestock sale. Participants in that event, Messick said, did not count in gate totals unless they actually went into the fairgrounds separate from the livestock sale.
"After taking a year off, we rolled the dice with a few things," Messick said. "It was a pretty good success, and we have room to grow for next year."
