NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas State Fair General Manager Bryan Schulz said the final monetary tally isn't in yet for Kansas largest get together, but it appears that allowing the carrying of alcohol throughout the fairgrounds was mostly a positive.
"I worked with the highway patrol on a daily basis and there really wasn't anything," Schulz said. "I also went up to a lot of the people that were walking around that had a beer or a glass of wine in their hand and I said, I just need to ask, what are your thoughts? They said, it is the best thing you could have done. We want to be able to walk around and check out the grounds. We don't want to be stuck in a beer garden. That's not why we came to the fair, so we're excited about being able to do that."
It also appears that alcohol sales remained strong.
"First blush, we are seeing that there was an uptick in sales," Schulz said. "There, too, it could be just sheer attendance. The concerts were another big part of it and I think people were just happier to have that opportunity to walk around."
The Kansas State Fair announced that 315,273 people went through the gates over the 10 days earlier this month.