CROWN POINT | About 21,000 more people than in 2007 had attended this year's Lake County Fair as of Thursday, with three days remaining, fair organizers reported.

As the fair draws to a close today, fair officials believe good weather and the addition of grandstand concerts have helped boost this year's attendance.

"We're very, very pleased right now," said Lake County Agricultural Society Secretary Arlene Marcinek.

This year marked the first year in decades that the Lake County Fair brought concerts back to the grandstands. Fair officials said the fair leased the grandstand to Illinois-based Onesti Entertainment for the first five days.

Ron Onesti, president and owner of Onesti Entertainment, said it is worth a repeat next year.

"I have to talk with the board, but my intentions are to return," he said.

John Laszlo, the fair's treasurer, said the concerts have been a welcome addition to the county's biggest event of the year.

"I was pleasantly surprised at how good the venue was," Laszlo said. "Once people got there and saw it was pretty decent, word spread."

Onesti said the fair's three largest concerts, Plain White T's, Rick Springfield and Blake Shelton, were about equally attended.

"I'd like to thank the fair board for having faith. I think I delivered for them," Onesti said.

Aside from a large storm that ripped through the county Monday night, weather at the fair has been pretty close to perfect, said Marcinek. She attributes nasty weather last year for lower-than-average attendance,

"Weather can make or break your fair," she said.