Seventy five drones flew close to 400 feet above Bush’s Pasture Park, as songs by The Beatles, such as “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds,” played for fair attendees. The dozens of drones formed artistic, abstract shapes with bright colors.  The drone show was to celebrate the Salem Art Fair’s 75th anniversary in September, an accomplishment for the local festival after enduring the pandemic and big changes in date and layout.  “People were wowed,” said Matthew Boulay, the Salem Art Association’s executive director. “People in the venue loved it, but then we learned that people who were not at the venue, people downtown, saw it.”  To Boulay, the fact that more people got to see the drones than just fair attendees reflected that art is for the community, not just a select number of people. Before the drone show, there was a laser show that went along with the Art Fair’s final musical performance of the night. (Courtesy photo/Matthew Boulay) The event was moved to September for the first time this year to cope with growing heat during the traditional July date. That choice, announced shortly after last year’s fair, provoked anxiety.  “The past years, (there) was so many existential questions,” Boulay said. He remembers wondering if people would return to the fair after the pandemic or after it moved to its new September date.  But early numbers show attendance for 2024 was about 16,000 people. Boulay said when they have an exact total, he expects it will show a similar number to 2023’s count of about 20,000. Boulay had a “sigh of relief” at the success of this year’s Art Fair.  Attendance numbers are still down compared to pre-Covid attendance and one of the art association’s goals is to “battle back” to attendance around 20,000 to 25,000, Boulay said. Even though the fair’s seen busier years, its organizers are happy with this year’s turnout.  One difference from 2023, is that people stayed longer and spent more. Boulay said that last year, people left earlier in the day due to the heat. In September, they stuck around as they felt “happy and comfortable.” The increase in sales especially impacted the artists, Boulay said, which is the event’s goal. The fair’s artists also reported lots of happiness in a survey the association sent out afterward. Around half of the 200 artists filled out the survey and most said their favorite thing was the fair’s artist hospitality booth. The booth, a tent only for artists, is a spot for artists to enjoy breakfast on Saturday and Sunday mornings and take breaks from their booths during the fair.  “It’s a nice way to say, ‘We’re glad you’re here, thank you for coming, we appreciate you,’” Boulay said.  Another way the fair tries to appreciate artists is through awards for different mediums. A list of the winners for Best in Show, Best 3-D, Best Ceramics and other categories is available on the art association’s website. Winners get a free booth at next year’s Art Fair.  Fair attendees also had the chance to win big at the fair’s first-ever raffle. The prize was $1,000 in cash and two round-trip tickets on Avelo Airlines. The man who won the raffle was filled with “lots of joy” when he got the call he won, Boulay said.  After the last five years caused so much change and upheaval for the fair, Boulay is glad that this year’s fair only got little bits of feedback rather than overwhelming criticisms.  “Given the big change from July to September … and moving out from under the shade of the trees … it feels like this year, it all came together,” Boulay said.  Contact reporter Madeleine Moore: [email protected]. A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE– If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. Work such as this, done by local professionals, depends on community support from subscribers. Please take a moment and sign up now – easy and secure: SUBSCRIBE. The post Successful year for Salem Art Fair with cooler temperature and plenty of joy appeared first on Salem Reporter.