Dillons Dollar Day drew large attendance to the Kansas State Fair on Monday, and with it, a few more issues, Fair Board members learned Tuesday.

On Monday, admission was free for anyone who presented a Dillons or other Kroger loyalty card and just $1 for everyone else.

About 15,600 patrons presented Dillon Plus cards to get in, reported Fair Board member Sarah Green, the board’s gate liaison this year. Another 12,235 people paid the $1.

Other scanned tickets brought Monday’s attendance to 33,829, plus there were other complimentary tickets not yet counted, said Fair Manager Bryan Schulz.

The carnival reported $126,000 in sales for the day, which was up from both 2019 and 2021, Schulz said.

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With those crowds, and heat creeping back into the upper 80s, there were also a lot of medical calls, reported Kansas Highway Patrol Lt. David Golden.

“We ran 24 documented medical calls yesterday, and I think there were more than that,” Golden said. “With the number of people, even though it was not 100 degrees, it felt hot. A lot of it was dehydration.”

“There was nothing overly serious; just a lot of calls,” he said. “It was a very busy afternoon.”

Troopers also made several arrests on Monday, including a domestic violence incident, a minor in consumption, and a couple of theft cases.

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The fair has taken several measures to address heat issues, including installing water bottle filling stations and renting some large shades, Schulz said.

The bottle filling stations, which can quickly refill a cup or empty water bottle, were installed atop existing drinking fountains in the Meadowlark, Domestic Arts, Cottonwood Court buildings, and the Ad Astra breezeway, Schulz said.

“Six more came in before the fair that will go in the Prairie Pavilion, one each in the North and South Sunflower building and down at the Grandstand,” he said.

Golden suggested the fair install some shades near the grandstand and carnival rides, which “bakes in the afternoon.”

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The fair did rent some large semi-portable Kool Cow Stations this year, Schulz said. Some are set up near livestock barns and a couple by the Lake Talbot stage.

“We thought they’d be best at the barns, but no one is using them there,” Schulz said.

They could relocate some, but not while the fair is going on.

“They’re almost 6,000 pounds each to move,” he said. “And we have to be careful of our new asphalt. We’d not be able to set them up until the carnival is set up, and we’d have to move them before the carnival tears down.”

The massive shades, attached to steel stands on a tractor tire base, cost $1,000 to rent, Schulz said.

“It’s the best thing we can do,” he said. “We can use them at every event and recoup our costs. We’re looking at maybe doing a couple of more next year.”

Monday’s large crowds also led to some “consternation” in parking, board member Green said.

“We’re short on volunteers in the parking lots, and we're down to one tow service and one wrecker,” she said.

The parking frustrations led Schulz to pull out some signs created by the late Bardo the Clown, which he joked about putting up but returned to storage.

Messages included: “Don’t even think about parking here!”, “Don’t park here. Not Now. Not Later,” and “Do not step over the rope. Use the entrance.”

The latter might be useful around the entrainment in Gottschalk Park, Schulz said, where people are ignoring barriers, standing up against fences, and even on the railroad tracks to watch the show.

Trams were expected to return to operation Tuesday since there are only seven high school bands on the grounds, but they will not be running on Wednesday because 52 bands are scheduled to appear.

“The bands back up the trams so badly, people are not able to use them,” Schulz said. They should return Thursday.

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Other notes of interest from Tuesday's meeting:

-- The Demolition Derby drew about 2,400 people, most as walk-up ticket buyers.

-- School field trips are up to 88. The Education Center hosted about 500 children, running out of supplies on Monday and requiring a couple of trips to resupply.

-- Wednesday's board meeting was moved to 10 a.m. due to the military breakfast at 9 a.m., and there will be no board meeting on Thursday because the Kansas Department of Agriculture will be using the board room all day.

-- Bingo will be offered on the second floor of Cottonwood Court on Wednesday, at $1 per card. Every winner will receive a prize worth at least $10, Schulz said, mostly in the form of gift cards. The top prize is a Crosswind Casino package.

­-- Dorothy and her crew have returned to the Oz Building.

The life-size Oz-themed scarecrows were pulled out of storage for display. The Dorothy figure, noted Green, has been moving around in the building, surprising unsuspecting staff with her sudden presence.