LIHUE — Attendance at the 2014 Kauai County Farm Bureau Fair dropped slightly from last year. “We are about 1,300 different this year from last year,” said Melissa McFerrin Warrack, who has been coordinating the fair for the past seven years. “Not
LIHUE — Attendance at the 2014 Kauai County Farm Bureau Fair dropped slightly from last year.
“We are about 1,300 different this year from last year,” said Melissa McFerrin Warrack, who has been coordinating the fair for the past seven years. “Not a major difference year-to-year but it’s possible hurricane spending and visitor counts had a small impact this year.”
Approximately 33,500 people — 32,072 attendees and 1,400 workers and volunteers — turned out for this year’s event, which ran from Thursday to Sunday and featured approximately 75 businesses and organizations and 30 sponsors, according to Warrack.
“More businesses and organizations are involved in this event than any other event throughout the year,” she said. “One of the things that’s so important is that this is one of the largest displays of volunteerism that you’ll see on the island.”
Warrack estimated the fair has an annual economic impact of about $1 million, and said that when people spend money there it has a multiplier effect, with those monies going straight back into the community.
“I do think this year’s fair was very successful,” Warrack said. “We were blessed with beautiful weather and we were pleased with the turnout.”
