GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — Officials say the Nebraska State Fair has seen success and growth since the event moved to Grand Island.
Fair executive director Joseph McDermott told the Grand Island Rotary Club on Tuesday that the fair’s income has increased 103 percent, while expenses are up only 18 percent since the fair moved to Grand Island in 2010.
McDermott also said that entertainment revenue increased from about $216,000 to about $1.5 million since the move. The director said that the Keith Urban concert this year was a big reason for the revenue jump.
McDermott said the event is only about 15,000 visitors away from hitting the 2 million visitors mark for the years it has been in Grand Island. Officials expect to make that achievement on opening day 2016.