Du Quoin State Fair sets attendance record for second straight year

More than a million people attended the two state fairs held in Illinois this summer.

In Springfield, the Illinois State Fair welcomed 723,000 visitors in August, the second-largest turnout ever.

In southern Illinois, this year's Du Quoin State Fair set new records for attendance.

On Tuesday, officials announced that the fair drew 282,202 people, breaking the previous record of 204,004 set last year.

The midway had 245,000 riders, according to the carnival vendor.

Camping was very popular at the fair, with 625 camping permits issued.

A recent study conducted by the International Association of Fairs and Expos found that fairs in America’s heartland of Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska, had a $2.7 billion regional economic impact. 

The same study found that 29% of the U.S. population attends a fair each year, more than the combined attendance of Major League Baseball and the NFL.