Attendance this year at the N.C. State Fair was down from last year. Sunday’s numbers brought the total to 926,425 people.

Though attendance numbers dipped, records were still broken at this year’s fair in many annual competitions. For N.C. Commissioner of  Agriculture Steve Troxler, he said he is grateful for all fair supporters.

“It is a celebration of the best of North Carolina and feels like an annual reunion that brings together everything that makes North Carolina a great place to live,” Troxler said.

“It is also a celebration of our state’s $103.2 billion agriculture industry, from the daily farm families highlighted, the mock tobacco auction, livestock competitions and horse shows to the horticultural displays, Got to Be N.C. Agriculture Pavilion and soil and forestry exhibit,” he said.

This year’s Livestock Sale of Champions drew in $217,850 in bids, $5,350 more than the previous record. The funds raised in this competition go toward scholarships that all competitors are eligible to apply for. Funding is also reserved for the grand and reserve grand champion exhibitors.

The fair also saw a strong participation for the Smithfield Foods Hunger Relief Day and competitive entries. This year 253,000 pounds of canned food goods were donated compared to the 214,000 pounds donated last year along with 500,000 servings of protein from Smithfield Foods for the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina.

“While numbers help us tell the story of a successful N.C. State Fair, it isn’t the only measure,” Troxler said.

Troxler emphasized that though the numbers are great, the fair is about the joy and outpouring support from fairgoers, vendors and businesses, calling it the “best day ever.”

The N.C. State Fair will be back next year on Oct. 17 and run through Oct. 27.