Associated Press

FALCON HEIGHTS — Despite sweltering heat at the start and a cold, windy final finale, attendance at the 2010 Minnesota State Fair was the second-highest on record.

Final attendance for the 12 days of the Great Minnesota Get Together was announced Tuesday at over 1.77 million fairgoers. That’s over 14,000 fewer than last year’s all-time record of over 1.79 million.

Fair spokeswoman Brienna Schuette tells the St. Paul Pioneer Press she thinks they would have approached or even surpassed the record if the weather had been better on Labor Day.

The final Saturday drew over 234,000 visitors, the highest ever for a single day.

The 2011 State Fair will run Aug. 25 through Labor Day, Sept. 5.