WEEDSPORT -- The Cayuga County Fair ended how it began -- wet.

But it's the time in between Thursday's rain and Sunday's showers that proved the four-day event is gaining momentum.

More people showed up for this year's opening day than in 2006, and Friday and Saturday's comfortable weather and variety of events attracted an "excellent amount" of people, fair committee director John Lester said.

Trenna Kelley greeted more people in her children's education tent in the fair's beginning than she did last year, she said. She sells products related to her business, Tiny Hearts and Hands, which teaches children sign language.

"I've heard a lot of people talk about growing up with the fair, and now it's back," said the New Hope resident.

A change in ownership caused an one-year hiatus, but a committee reinstated it in 2006. The break allowed organizers to revamp the 25-year tradition.

First to go -- paying for parking and admission. The free admission and open parking are here to stay, Lester said.

"Definitely, in today's marketplace with the price of gas... this is something they can do with their family," Lester said.

Even in its second year, people still express surprise they don't have to fork over money to get into the fairgrounds, Kelley said.

"It's so expensive to do something with your family. If you have three or four kids, where can you afford to go," she asked.

Read the full report in Monday's edition of The Citizen.