That seemed to be the recipe for record-breaking attendance at the N.C. State Fair this year.

In all, 858,611 people attended the 10-day event that ended at midnight Sunday. That total broke the record of 846,724 set in 2000.

Sunday's 98,433 fairgoers bested a Sunday record set in 2005. Attendance on Saturday and Tuesday also set records.

But those weren't the only record-breakers.

CONCERTS: An "unprecedented" five of the nine performances in Dorton Arena sold out, said Brian Long, spokesman for the state agriculture department.

Roanoke Rapids rocker Chris Daughtry's concert sold out in four days when ticket sales opened online last month. Albemarle native Kellie Pickler's new country concert was more down to the wire but sold out before she took the stage Tuesday.

Mercy Me, the Christian rock band behind the crossover song "I Can Only Imagine," and rising country singer Josh Turner also were sellouts.

And, while they didn't sell out, country music stars Trace Adkins and Sara Evans also had healthy ticket sales, Long said.

The successful concert lineup set another record: 289,160 advance tickets, Long said.

UTTAH BUTTAH: Paula Deen, the Southern cooking Food Network star who hails from Savannah, Ga., sold out in the first week of online sales. More than 5,000 fans packed Dorton Arena to see the queen of butter, who puts fat in just about everything she cooks, like cheesy ham-and-banana casserole, Savannah cheesecake cookies and fried ravioli with marinara cream sauce.

WEATHER: According to the state climate office, afternoon highs averaged 75 degrees; evenings, 72 degrees. The sun shone brightly eight of the 10 days. The two rainy days, Thursday and Friday, were the only ones when attendance failed to top last year's numbers.

POPULATION GROWTH: The state's population grew nearly 2 percent last year. The fair's attendance was up 9 percent, Long said. Why so much more? Maybe some newcomers just had to come back for second helpings of fried chocolate chip cookie dough, this year's new fried balls of goodness.

(News researcher Brooke Cain contributed to this report.)