PORT HURON, MI – If there's one local sector that hasn't been hurt by the slow, struggling, insert-negative-adjective-here economy, it may be festivals and fairs.

Marilyn Light, organizer of the Lexington Art Fair, said this year had the largest turnout she's seen in her 22 years coordinating it.

"I was pleasantly surprised...It was mobbed on Saturday," she said of the Aug. 1 and 2 event.

More than 200 artists had their work on display and an estimated 10,000 people attended. This was the first year Light had to turn away artists, she said.

Light thinks the increased turnout was a reflection of the economy.

"They're looking for something to do that doesn't cost them any money," she said.

St. Clair Riverfest had mixed success this year, said Joe Nieporte, co-owner of Funfest Productions, which organizes the event.

"No question, we drew more people," he said. "The one thing we did notice was people were spending less money."

The July 31 through Aug. 2 event, which capped a weekend of musical acts and other entertainment with offshore boat races, attracted about 150,000 people, or 20,000 to 30,000 more than last year, Nieporte said.

But he estimated vendors made 5-10% less money than last year. He didn't know specific dollar amounts.

He said he wasn't surprised by the growth or the loss in spending.

"Going into it, we kind of knew," he said. "The economy's bad. What we do at the festival -- it's free; we don't charge admission to attend. We feel that economy helps attendance."

Yale Bologna Festival had a different kind of success, said director Crystal Topor -- it raised $20,000 for the Yale Chamber of Commerce -- a $16,000 improvement on last year's $4,000.

She didn't think there was an above-average attendance, though.

She thinks the lack of a carnival this year left people with more money to spend at the chamber's food tent as well as for voting for the Bologna King and Queen and other fundraisers.

The money supports chamber events and scholarships.

"Given the economy, I wasn't expecting to do quite as well, and also being that it was my first year (as director) -- but we did considerably well," she said.

Copyright 2009 Times Herald. All rights reserved. From http://www.thetimesherald.com. By Jesse Dunsmore and Liz Shepard.
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