Rainy weather hurt attendance at the Five County Fair this year, but it wasn’t because it rained a lot at the fairground itself.

According to Farmville-based longtime fair manager Auburn Estes, it rained everywhere around the fairgrounds on several occasions, causing people to stay at home. It only rained Friday night at the fair itself, he said.

Attendance was down “quite a bit,” Estes said, at least by 40 percent.

“And that hurt the attendance because people were at home,” he said of the rain. “We had a very good night Saturday night. That was excellent. The attendance was really good that night.”

Overall, Estes said he was satisfied with the event, noting the tremendous number of exhibits.

“We just can’t control the weather,” he said, still describing the week as a good fair.

Three or four new rides were at the fair this year and were received “very well” by those who attended, he said.

“We want to emphasize that this is a non-profit organization and we do this for the community and for the children … We want to thank people for supporting us and coming out,” Estes said.

He said the fair association’s only income is ticket sales.

The fair, which began Sept. 27, wrapped up Saturday night.

As it has in years past, Cole Amusement Co. furnished the rides.