The legislature cut its state funding in half at the beginning of the year, but the South Dakota State Fair is wrapping up its annual five-day event and expecting one of its best years ever.

The debate over funding the State Fair has gone back and forth about as much as some of the rides at the Huron fairgrounds, but almost nine months ago funding for the fair took a big dip.

"We lived through the depression, the fair went on. We went through world wars, the fair went on. This is a speed bump in the road," South Dakota Secretary of Agriculture Bill Even said.

Back in January, South Dakota Secretary of Agriculture Bill Even said the fair would go on despite having it's $775,000 check from the state ripped up as part of $46 million in proposed budget cuts. 

"At the end of the day everyone agreed that this is a state facility. It's essentially a state fair park and we're putting public money into something the public utilizes," Even said.

The legislature ended up giving the State Fair $400,000 for this year's event, but it also opened up the debate among lawmakers again about the state supporting the fair. 

"I think the state fair's time has come and gone," Abdallah said.

South Dakota Senator Gene Abdallah of Sioux Falls was one of four Senators who voted against a bill this year to give the fair state funding.

"I'm elected to represent the state and I think that we're spending money we shouldn't be spending. Especially this time last year when our budget was short. We're going to experience another shortfall this year in our budget and we have to start cutting somewhere and I think that's one of the places to cut," Abdallah said.

But the Secretary of Agriculture says the number of vendors on the fairgrounds this year is at a ten-year high and they've filled 16 hundred camping spots. He says that's proof the state fair has taken a turn for the better and is here to stay.

"The state fair isn't going to go anywhere we've been here for over a century," Even said.

Even knows some lawmakers don't support the fair, but he says the fair has increased its attendance and revenue numbers over the past three years. And, the money the fair gets from the state is just a portion of its total two million dollar budget. 

"From a percentage stand point it's a small part of the budget, but it's an important part of the budget. I would put it like this, this is a state facility, these are state buildings and state property, and there has to be a certain amount of money that goes into maintaining the buildings and the property," Even said.

Sales at the 2008 state fair totaled one million dollars, $250,000 more than what it received from the legislature. But officials say the state fair has a lot more value than just money.

"Being able to bring the people of South Dakota, let them connect with their agricultural roots and let them see the 4-H and FFA children that are here for their capstone events. Its investing money into the good children in this state," Even said. 

"I'm not opposed to budgeting money to 4-H and things like that, but I am opposed to paying big money for top name entertainment that goes out of state and it's funded by the state of South Dakota," Abdallah said.

A state that still hasn't settled on how much funding it should give to the fair.

Secretary Even says the state fair is expecting around 160,000 people to pass through it's gates for the 2009 fair.