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It would have taken a lot more than a little rain to keep the La Crosse Interstate Fair from being a success.

Despite some showers and humid temperatures, the 2008 La Crosse Interstate Fair again drew good numbers this last week. From fairgoers to exhibitors to vendors, everyone had a good time, according to fair event coordinator Marla Stello.

“It went very well considering the little bit of rain we had,” Stello said. “I think it was more successful than we thought it would be.”

Sponsored by the La Crosse Area Agricultural Society, the 118th annual fair ran July 16-20 and marked 51 years of being held in West Salem. The fair has been notorious for being hampered by hot and muggy weather, although last year’s fair drew record crowds with favorable weather and temperatures.

Stello said attendance was down a little this year compared to last year, but she said there were still many people who attended the fair last week.

“It was not quite as many people (as last year) but the streets were full of people and they were having a good time,” Stello said. “We had very happy people and very happy families, and that’s what we want.”

The fair offered a lot of entertainment — from live music to magic to a carnival— as well as its annually popular events like the Little Squirts Dairy Show, the horsepull and the Junior Livestock Auction.

“I think we had a very good variety — a little bit for the kids and a little bit for the adults,” Stello said.

One event that appealed to all ages was the Super Farmer Olympics Saturday morning, which was won by the husband-wife team of Nathan and Amanda Langrehr for the fourth year in a row.

This year’s Fairest of the Fair Kayla Wegner also took part in the Super Farmer Olympics and her team, Beauty and the Beast, took sixth place out of 14 teams. Wegner said she was happy with how well she did considering she didn’t have a background in farming.

“It was a new experience — I had a lot of new experiences this week,” said Wegner, a recent Bangor High School graduate.

Wegner was joined by La Crosse Area Agricultural Society President Jeff Schmidt for the two-person team.

“It was a great experience,” said Schmidt, who had the second-furthest hay bail toss with 29 feet and 10 inches. “We kept up with the others.”

Wegner, who was the official hostess for the fair, said she enjoyed the fair and meeting new people. She still has a few other area events and parades to attend and will then take part in the state Fairest of the Fair contest in January.

“I thought the fair went really, really well,” Wegner said. “It was a lot of fun getting to meet people and finding out where they are from.”

Another large aspect of the fair are exhibits, and Stello said there were about 12,000 entered this year. That number also is about 800 less than last year — in part due to the early spring affecting flower entries — but Stello said it still remains one of the more popular features of the fair.

And, she said, education is the goal of the fair.

“It should be a learning experience,” Stello said. “Each of the exhibit areas and all the livestock buildings had educational displays.

“It’s a good educational experience for the kids as well as other people to learn. And we hope we achieved that.”

Stello said the agricultural board and fair organizers will be meeting soon to discuss this year’s fair as well as to begin planning for next year. She said she appreciates the fairgoers and volunteers who helped make this year’s event a success.

“We give a thank-you to all the guests that did come out and those who took part in the educational exhibits and a big thank-you to all the volunteers,” Stello said. “The fair could not operate without the volunteers in the community to help pull all this together.”