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Fairgoers fly through the air on one of the midway rides during the 2012 State Fair.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The New Mexico State Fair once again has been recognized for excellence in the industry, both before and during the pandemic.

The International Association of Fairs and Expositions, and the Western Fairs Association recently honored the New Mexico State Fair with five First-Place awards and four Second-Place awards in a host of categories.

Among the awards presented were those for video at home activities, innovative use of technology in agriculture, virtual fairs, online competitions, virtual livestock auctions and sales, and state fair wellness drives for vaccines, blood drives and food distribution.

“Recognition for our commitment to delivering the fair under circumstances none of us could have foreseen just a year ago is humbling,” said general manager Dan Mourning. “The fair industry has been hit hard by the pandemic, but we got creative and we got to work delivering the best experience possible to the people of New Mexico because we know the value of this event in New Mexican’s hearts.”

As of now, the 2021 New Mexico State Fair is scheduled to be held from Sept. 9-19. Officials from state fairs throughout the United States are expected to attend to observe and get ideas on how to improve their own events, Mourning said.