WAILUKU - Blaring horns, marching bands and floats brought the excitement of the 86th Maui County Fair to Kaahumanu Avenue on Thursday.
Crowds of spectators were out for the parade, fulfilling the fair theme "Where the Community Comes Together."
"Every space was taken," Fair Director Sherri Grimes said about the wall of people who filled sidewalks and roadsides along the parade route that started at the Maui Community College campus, marched up Kaahumanu Avenue and ended on Kanaloa Avenue at the War Memorial Complex.
"I think the weather was beautiful. People came out and it had such a good feel," Grimes said.
A light overcast sky and 20 mph trades helped to cool the afternoon to a mild 82 degrees as the parade kicked off at 4:30 p.m.
The number of entries in the parade tipped a little over the 65 fair officials had planned for. A preliminary count as the parade began indicated approximately 3,000 parade participants, an increase over the 2007 parade. Grimes could not say exactly how many there were in the jam of marchers waiting to go.
As of 8 p.m., crowd counts were still being tallied and Grimes was hopeful the 2008 fair would match opening day for the 2007 fair at 7,980 for paid attendance.
She said fears about the downturn in economy and a negative effect on the fair turnout did not appear to materialize Thursday.
"The community really pulled together," Grimes said.
With the extra-large crowd, the parade ran longer than planned, delaying the opening ceremonies until nearly two hours after the fair grounds officially opened - not a problem for anyone involved.
"The opening ceremony was full. It was crowded," Grimes said.
At 8 p.m., she said, hordes of families were still coming through the entrance gates and all were enjoying an array of food, exhibits, entertainment along with the rides and games.
"They came to share, relax and just enjoy," she said.
* Claudine San Nicolas can be reached at claudine@mauinews.com.
