Although the Isle of Wight County Fair attendance was 50 percent lower this year than last year’s four-day total of 29,500, the only thing that can be blamed is the weather.

Fair officials put together one heck of a lineup that included Friday, Saturday and Sunday Main Stage country acts who are all in the Top 40.

Fair officials on Saturday expected a single-day record of 18,000 to 20,000 to see Jake Owen on the Main Stage. Owen last week hit number one on the Billboard Country Music Chart with “Barefoot Blue Jean Night.” The news had fans coming in on buses from as far as New Jersey, Delaware and North Carolina to see Owen for the mere $5 entrance fee to the fair.

Then Saturday’s forecast brought what it promised. Rain. An all-day rain and a lot of mud. We’re sure the weather changed the minds of a lot of folks who planned to go to the fair. As a result, the attendance on Saturday was fewer than 5,000.

To you folks who staged the fair, we are sorry the rain dampened your event. Preparing for the fair is a year-round undertaking. So thanks for all that you did and please don’t let it discourage you for next year.