With nine near perfect fall days the 2023 Clay County Fair was the ideal getaway location for thousands of fairgoers, Sept. 9-17.

"If you create a memorable experience, they will come," Fair CEO/Manager Jerome Hertel said in a news release. "Even a little rain shower didn't deter people from attending the fair."

For the second year in a row attendance surpassed 300,000 visitors. Overall attendance was slightly down by 2 percent at 318,678.

"More noteworthy is the fact that participation and spending remain at all-time highs," said Hertel. "Youth involvement numbers are up and fairgoers like th...