Attendance at the Northwest Montana Fair was down a little over 5 percent from last year, due in part to the sudden cancellation of the Chris Young concert on Wednesday night of the five-day fair that ended Aug. 18.

A total of 75,607 people attended the fair this year, which is 4,347 fewer guests than in 2012, Fair Manager Mark Campbell said.

The abrupt cancellation of the Young concert because of a serious medical issue couldn’t be helped, Campbell told the county commissioners during his monthly report Wednesday. He thanked the county finance department and other staffers for helping with the ticket refunds, a process that is “making its way through the system,” he said.

The fair had sold 2,690 tickets when word came of Young’s detainment in a Colorado hospital.

A free concert by Young’s opening act, Red Head Express, and other musicians was offered to entertain the crowd already on site.

The Tuesday night concert, Cruising to the Oldies, attracted only 1,022 people. The fair lost money on that event.

Campbell said the Tuesday night concert slot has been a challenge and the Fair Board will re-evaluate the format and music genre. Last year a Spirit Fest featuring popular Christian artist Steven Curtis Chapman also lost money with just 1,375 concert-goers.

“It’s not just about the numbers,” Campbell told the commissioners during his fair report. “It’s about safety and enjoyment and meeting customer expectations.”

There were many bright spots during fair week.

Nearly 11,000 people attended three nights of PRCA rodeo action, an increase of 6 percent over last year. Saturday was once again the biggest night for the rodeo, with a crowd of 4,364. Thursday’s rodeo attendance was 2,789 and Friday’s rodeo attracted 2,367 spectators.

Campbell noted that of the 219 rodeo contestants, 26 are currently ranked in the top 20 in their events nationally.

New carnival operations provided by North Star and Paradise Amusement set a new carnival sales record by increasing more than 17 percent over the fair’s previous best record.

A $5 increase in the price of a wrist band for carnival rides helped generate an increase in revenue. The fair gets a percentage of the carnival proceeds.

The annual demolition derby had a rebound in attendance, drawing 2,801 spectators, roughly 750 more people than last year, Campbell said.

The number of exhibits stayed about the same, at around 8,100, though the photography and fine arts departments showed significant increases in exhibit numbers this year.

Campbell said most food vendors reported their sales were about the same as last year and in a few cases were up from 2012.

Commissioner Gary Krueger suggested the Fair Board hold a joint work session with the commissioners, tentatively set for Sept. 17, to discuss fair-related matters.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.