INDEPENDENCE — Not even 90-degree temperatures could deter some spectators from staking out hillside seats four hours before the start of Tuesday's demolition derby at the Kenton County Fair & Horse Show.

        “I just like the thrill of it,” said five-year spectator James Albertson, 29, of Covington. A driver for CSI, Mr. Albertson said he finished his garbage collection route early Tuesday so that he could help a friend work on his demo derby entry and reserve a good seat. The event is billed as “the wildest show on the fairgrounds.”

        “It's safe, too,” his wife, April, 22, added. “If I had a teenaged boy, I'd let him do it.”

        Her husband agreed.

        “I ain't never seen nobody go out of here on an ambulance,” Mr. Albertson said, as he sat in the shade drinking a Pepsi.

        Two nights ago, the Kenton County Fair & Horse Show had one of its best Mondays ever, with a crowd of 5,500, about 1,000 more than the normal Monday night attendance, said Fair Board member William E. Durr. He estimated 90 percent of the crowd was there for that night's demolition derby featuring full-sized cars.

        “There's just something about that smoke and fire and crashing that draws them in,” he said.

        Because of the popularity of the demolition derby, organizers added a pre-fair demolition event to this year's fair.

        Drivers who accumulated the most money during the three-night event were vying for cash prizes, bragging rights and a new 6-foot championship trophy.

        “The money they win will be gone in a fairly short amount of time, but a trophy is forever,” said producer Jerry Castor. For 32 years, the North Vernon, Ind., man has produced demolition derbies from Michigan to Georgia.

        “There are some drivers who take it real seriously,” Mr. Castor said. “Before it starts, I tell them, “This is not the Daytona 500. This is the Kenton County Fair. Just go out and do your best and have a good time, because that's what we're all here for.”

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