>La Grande Observer | Union and Wallowa Counties' News Leader

Spectators watch the fiddle contest unfold at the Union County Fair. More than 22,000 people attended the event over its four days. - The Observer/CHRIS BAXTER

The free admission might have had something to do with it.

Nan Bigej, the fair manager, said more than 22,000 people attended the event over its four days.

That’s a record number, at least by recent standards. Last year, for example, 12,495 came out. Bigej said that was about average for the past several years.

For the first time in decades, there was no gate price for the fair, thanks to the efforts of its organizers and a cadre of sponsors.

That paid off, Bigej said.

“I think there are a lot of people who came who wouldn’t have been able to afford to go otherwise, especially because of the economy,” she said.

“And I think people came more than one day.”

Bigej said she noticed more bicyclists than usual — a reflection, perhaps, of both the $5 parking fee and the steep cost of gasoline.

In the future, she said it would be great to install a bicycle rack at the entrance to make this transportation option more secure.

Saturday showed the biggest attendance with 6,052 visitors, but business was brisk throughout.

“All in all, the vendors did really well,” Bigej said.

There were parking issues that will be smoothed out in the future, she noted. Many people parked along the road or in other creative places to avoid the fee.

But the fair’s parking shuttles — a mini-bus donated by Mid-Columbia Bus Co. and a hay wagon courtesy of Mark Wing — ran smoothly.

In addition, Community Connection offered a special shuttle route to bring people to and from the fairgrounds this year. Frank Thomas, the organization’s Union County director, reported that the shuttle provided more than 300 rides, with the greatest volume on Thursday.

NOTE:

The Observer has posted a gallery of photos from the 2008 Union County Fair on its website. Click this link to begin the slideshow.