By Kevin Hanson

The Courier-Herald

Scorching temperatures were fingered as the culprit, as this year's edition of the King County Fair continued to experience a downward slide in attendance.

Figures released by the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks showed 39,655 visitors passed through the gates during the five-day fair (July 19-23). That figure included everyone who entered the gates, not just those buying tickets.

&#8220Clearly we were down,” said Doug Williams, a public information officer with the county. Other events in the region suffered the same fate, he said, as temperatures that reached well into the 90s baked the Puget Sound area. &#8220It was just too hot for a lot of folks,” Williams said.

Fair Manager Sharon Roberts offered the same sentiments. &#8220I thought it went really well considering the heat,” she said.

Instead of focusing on another year of record-low attendance, Williams and Roberts pointed to the fair's highlights. The Friday night concert by local favorite Blaine Larsen, a rising county star, resulted in a packed house. A new feature, a Sunday demolition derby, sold 600 tickets, Roberts said. And a Johnny Cash tribute show, which included reduced admission price for those dressed like &#8220the man in black,” was well attended.

The numbers talked about in recent years pale in comparison to those posted during the height of the fair's popularity. Rumors swirl that attendance figures were sometimes padded, but those who attended two decades ago recall fairgoers jostling shoulder-to-shoulder through the main walkways after parking in an overflow lot and taking a shuttle bus to the grounds.

None of that is evident now.

Williams provided the following daily counts. The figures in parentheses are for corresponding days in 2005, when 43,620 attended: Wednesday, 7,180 (6,546); Thursday, 9,527 (7,376); Friday, 7,527 (6,760); Saturday, 8,123 (12,849); and Sunday, 7,298 (10,089).

Those who have watched the fair over the years wonder about the future, in light of attendance numbers that continue to dwindle.

Twenty-five years ago, attendance was reported at more than 150,000, and that was just the beginning. By 1991, fair attendance had peaked, with a reported count of more than 270,000.

Kevin Hanson can be reached at courierherald.com.