Hutchinson ? Cooler temperatures attracted larger-than expected crowds to the Kansas State Fair over the weekend.

Revenue from gate ticket sales was up 22 percent Friday, the opening day of the fair’s 10-day run, and 21 percent Saturday, said General Manager Denny Stoecklein. Advance ticket revenue won’t be available until later this week.

Attendance numbers are crucial. The event is still trying to recover from the devastating 2001 fair, when attendance fell by 20 percent to 282,535, resulting in a $600,000 budget shortfall. Last year attendance rebounded to 338,693, a more average figure.

Stoecklein attributed this year’s initial strong turnout to the mild weather. But he said the slumping economy might also have helped.

“A lot of the traffic is coming from families who might not have taken an extravagant vacation this year because of the economy,” he said. “They stayed a little closer to home, and the fair has became that vacation. It’s great.”

For those who traveled to Hutchinson for the fair’s opening weekend, there was a little bit of everything. As expected, there were displays of livestock and vendors hawking fudge and other delicacies.

But there also was a bit of the unexpected. Bikers roared through the fairgrounds Sunday during the second annual Motorcycle Rally and Parade and then talked to curious fairgoers about their beloved rides.

One of the most gawked-at items on display was a pillow made of cat hair.

Anorea Springer, of Reno County, earned a third-place ribbon for the grayish-brown throw pillow. It took Springer a year to collect the hair from his three cats, Bud, Sidney and Boovy. Once he did, the hair was combed, spun, washed and knitted. The pillow features tassels on each corner and three buttons down the middle.

Motorcyclists ride along 20th Avenue on the Kansas State Fairgrounds as part of the annual Motorcycle Rally Parade in Hutchinson.

Jim Shaw, right, and his 5-year-old son, Casey, get ready to launch a balloon at the Water Wars booth at the Kansas State Fair.