Before the British Columbia Northern Exhibition closed its gates Sunday, board president Alex Huber was calling the weekend one of the BCNE's best yet.
"It's been a tough couple weeks," said Huber Sunday afternoon, but "it definitely yielded some results. The feedback from the public's been very positive, especially the rodeo."
Huber said the last two weeks organizers have been working "flat out," logging 10 to 12 hour days to get the grounds ready.
"Everybody's exhausted. It's humbling that that many people can get together to put on a show of this magnitude. It is a big show. There's a lot to it, you know, liquor licenses and tents and barricades and traffic control.
"(It) shows how professional my volunteers are," said Huber, adding the 15 directors have been instrumental in pulling the fair off, now in its 103 year.
On closing day, Sunday afternoon, the parking lot was full, with cars on the street. The fairgrounds were bustling with people lined up for rides or a chance to win stuffed animals at various games. The food court had people lounging in shade, or sitting in the row of seats in front of the stage taking in the concert under the sun.
Bringing back the rodeo after 12 years was a highlight of the event for Huber.
"You can sort of feel a buzz when you're talking to people," said Huber, who credited Curt and Nora Wallach for their coordination of the event.
"Coming out of the gate for it to be so well received is quite the feat."
And will it be back next year?
"Absolutely," Huber said. "I think we're going to add a day next year. There were so many participants. We actually had an overflow this morning where we let people compete that didn't have the time in the two days."
Huber also highlighted the senior day on Thursday, where busloads from the local seniors centre showed up.
"Thursday was slowest day and parking lot was still full."
He said it helped having the free preview to the exhibition on Wednesday.
"I'm hoping to make it almost permanent," he said of the five day approach. The BCNE had that many days for its 100th anniversary in 2012.
"It works really really well where you can work out all the kinks," said Huber, since some of rides aren't quite set up and other equipment like bleachers. "It's just a mad scramble the day of the open."
Having that extra day also helps build the energy.
"You can feel it," Huber said. "It started on Wednesday. People really appreciated the fact that they could come in for free and have a sneak peek. They can pick and choose what, whether it's the motocross, or the rodeo or the celebrity chef."
They also appreciated the choice to eliminate paid parking, he said.
"That was always a thorn in our side."
Organizers cut the cost of entry, and while Huber doesn't have the final attendance numbers, he said other well-attended events at the festival will help generate revenue.
"I think by the time we add everything up, I think we actually made money rather than losing it by reducing the gates by 30 per cent."
