RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Organizers are celebrating the 2021 N.C. State Fair, despite seeing its lowest attendance total in more than a decade due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The News & Observer of Raleigh reports that with preliminary totals collected through Sunday, officials said the fair drew 821,463 people, a 12% drop from 2019, the year before the pandemic erupted.

Attendance this year dropped lower than any year since 2008, when 765,067 people flocked to the midway, rides and exhibits.