Fair officials are looking for a strong showing after a not-so-grand turnout at the grandstand in 2010.

The fair made money last year, but the grandstand struggled, attracting about 4,000 people.

Fair Director Ken Trom said the grandstand attendance was about 4,000 people. He noted many county fairs have the same problem with producing popular grand stand entertainment.

“What you can put up in front of grandstand anymore is really limited,” Trom said.

Options are limited further by the fact that the fair is free, something that isn’t likely to change to attract grandstand talent.

“It’s a smaller and smaller part of county fairs,” he added.

Hoping for cooler temps

Fair goers and planners alike are likely hoping for cooler weather at the 2011 fair.

Last year, 90 degree days and high humidity settled in for fair week, causing hardships for many animals.

The weather seemed to carry over to attendance, which dipped to about 69,000 — a 15 percent drop.

The 2011 fair is looking to be much more pleasant with highs expected to be in the upper 70s to low 80s.

A few scattered storms are possible.