COEUR d’ALENE — Hazy sunshine could finally be seen and felt Wednesday, even though air quality still hovered in the not-so-wonderful range.

Smoke or no, North Idahoans and many visitors still made it a priority to attend the opening day of the North Idaho State Fair.

“It’s not as bad as it was earlier in the week, so it didn’t seem like it’s hard to breathe or anything like that. That’s why we thought we’d come out on the first day,” said Lisa Thompson of Coeur d’Alene. "I mean, you can almost see blue in the sky."

Benjamin Nielsen, 8, of Coeur d'Alene, loves riding the Ferris wheel and playing at the fair. The smoky haze didn't stop him from enjoying the day. 

"I don’t mind. No, I don’t even see any smoke," he said.

The compromised air quality also wasn't a huge deal to Rathdrum resident Pam Donnenwirth, who entered greeting cards in a craft exhibit. She said she braved the hazy day "to come and see how I did at the fair."

"And just to get together with friends," she said. "We do this every year, just spend the day and have fun."

Carsyn Erwin, 13, of Coeur d'Alene, shared a fairly determined attitude when it comes to enjoying the North Idaho State Fair despite the smoke.

"Why not? It's the fair," he said, hanging out with friends as they walked to the south midway. "This only comes around once a year, and it's not that bad today. You used to not even be able to see Canfield Mountain from here."