By Ed Nadolski
Editor in Chief
For someone who had just 12 weeks to plan this year’s Kenosha County Fair, Denise Zirbel was more than happy with the results of the 2015 event.
Zirbel, the fair’s full-time manager, said the five-day affair that concluded at the fairgrounds in Wilmot Sunday hit a sweet spot when it comes to attendance.
While well off the last year’s record-setting figure that topped 100,000, this year’s mark of 85,000 is about average for most recent years.
“We hit that right in the middle,” Zirbel said.
Attendance got off to a sluggish start with less-than-stellar weather Wednesday and Thursday, but rebounded in a big way over the weekend.
“Saturday and Sunday, you couldn’t ask for better weather,” she said.
As usual, the motorsports events drew the biggest crowds. Sunday’s two demolition derbies and the IRA Outlaw Sprint car races on Friday and Saturday were among the most popular events at the fair, Zirbel said.
She also said this year’s new midway provider – Alpine Amusement Co. of Naperville, Ill. – received good reviews from fairgoers.
However, amid the spinning rides, funnel cakes and roaring engines, the animal displays and auctions again proved to be the heart of the county fair, Zirbel said.
“We had great participation and people were very supportive of the 4-H kids,” she said. “We’re always so far over market value (in the animal auctions). It’s amazing the way the community supports the kids.”
For Zirbel, her first year at the helm was rewarding.
“I’m really pleased with the overall fair itself and can’t say enough about the volunteers who give so much to make it happen,” she said.
Zirbel is looking forward to taking a long look at this year’s fair with an eye toward improving it in 2016.
“I had 12 weeks to prepare for this one and I have 12 months to prepare for the next,” she said. “I’m looking forward to reviewing all aspects.”
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