Big E vendors see bump in sales

WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - A record number of visitors attended this year's Big E in West Springfield.

Attendance records were broken on Sunday, the final day of the fair.

As a result of the increase in fair traffic, vendors saw a bump in sales.

"We did really well. The weather was good.  The crowds were great.  It was a consistent flow of people.  About 15-18 percent better over last year," said Elaine Fisher who is a craftsperson from Cape Cod.

"We didn't have any rain, so we did pretty well.  I would say average to up maybe 10-percent, " said Joe Koch, a food vendor from Ellington, Connecticut.

The 17-day fair brought in more than 1.3 million visitors this year. That represents a 14-percent increase over last year's fair.

"Sometimes, the fair industry can fool you, because families will defer on other expenses in order to come to the fair and when they are here, they might spend more because they have sacrificed throughout the year," said Gene Cassidy, President and CEO of the Eastern States Exposition, which runs the Big E.