There were the bumper cars, the carousels, and also the animal petting stations.
“The shooting,” Tim finally said after some thought, referring to the carnival marksmanship games from which his family had won a couple of stuffed animals.
He likely wasn’t the only one having trouble picking a favorite spot.
DeVan, along with his parents, Mike and Penny, and his 2-year-old brother, Ty, from Los Alamos, were joined by an all-time high of 160,998 thrill-seekers who passed through the gates during the fair’s five days of activity from July 11-15. With live music and dance entertainment each day, as well as rides, vendor booths, carnival food and livestock and agricultural areas, the event had a little something for everybody who traversed its grounds.
In addition to the record attendance this year, which was up 10% from 2011, the early estimate on the Jr. Livestock Auction was $2.4 million, and the amount of Jr. Livestock entries was up as well.
“This is good old-fashioned American fun,” Mike DeVan said. “It’s as good a time as you can spend. The kids are having fun and it makes us have fun.”