North Dakota State Fair has 2nd-highest attendance on record

MINOT, N.D. (AP) - The North Dakota State Fair fell just short of setting an all-time attendance record.

Officials say the nine-day event drew 318,348 people, the second-highest total in the 53 years of the fair. The record was set in 2013, when 320,486 people went through the gates.

This year’s fair also had the second-highest one-day total on record, when 51,972 people showed up on Saturday.

Nickelback drew the most people of any concert, playing to a sold-out crowd of more than 16,600 fans.

Event manager Renae Korslein attributed the high numbers to good weather and the quality of free stage entertainment.