The annual North Carolina State Fair ended its 2013 run Sunday, with a record-breaking year in attendance looking unlikely. 

According to Heather Overton, public information officer for the N.C. State Fair, attendance through Saturday was 829,344. 

“We won’t know today’s attendance until sometime tomorrow, but we have a pretty good crowd out there right now,” Overton said. “Aside from the first Saturday, we’ve had pretty good weather.”

Overton said although the total attendance would likely end up lower than last year, several of the fair’s exhibits saw increases in attendance — some of them by more than 100 percent. 

“We had a huge increase in attdenance to our flower show, and we had a huge increase in the number in our beer competition,” Overton said. “It was the second year of our beer competition … I think more people knew about it, and that’s what increased the entries.”

On Thursday, a ride called the Vortex malfunctioned by starting while riders were attempting to board. Five people were injured, and three are still hospitalized. Overton said she guesses this could have affected attendance.

“It’s hard to say for sure,” Overton said. “Actually, our lowest attendance to date was the first Saturday, which of course was before the ride accident even happened. But the attendance is down from last year.”

This year, the fair’s theme was “North Carolina’s Homecoming.” 

According to Overton, the theme was designed to show that the fair is a unique event each year.

“It’s like a reunion,” Overton said. “You see your friends, and you see things you only see once a year.” 

In addition to classics, such as pig racing, BMX bike shows and magic shows, there were several new entertainment events at the fair this year.  Acrobats performed twirls and flips on a steel gantry near the Dorton Arena. Also new this year was the Wacky Wheeler, a roaming comedic event in which a clown rolled through the fair on a giant hamster-wheel like contraption. 

 “One of my favorite parts of the fair was the Wacky Wheeler,” Overton said. “I liked to see him out there rolling around.” 

Agriculture competitions, one of the original reasons for hosting the N.C. State Fair, awarded residents from throughout the state with first prizes in everything from beer to sweet potato dishes. Residents from Raleigh and Wendell made the strongest showings — the winners of the “Egg Cooking,” “SPAM recipe,” “Southern Fried Classic” and “Savory Sauces” competitions were all from Raleigh. 

The Dorton Arena hosted a wide variety of performances, including a Who’s Bad, a Michael Jackson band; Florida Georgia Line; and Scotty McCreery. Even though McCreery’s shows weren’t sold out, Overton said the fair saw strong sales for both of his Monday and Tuesday night performances.