The Edgerton Explorit Center hosted more than 80 home-schooled children from throughout the state Thursday for a butterfly workshop. Kids participated in several activities, including catching and tagging the insects.

The 2012 version of the Nebraska State Fair came to a close Monday and initial reports show that attendance was up 1.2 percent with nearly 337,000 people enjoying the 11-day run.
“That’s great news,” sponsorship and marketing director Shaun Schlief said upon hearing the final count. “We have had a lot of compliments, particularly with the entertainment. We spent over $1 million just on entertainment this year and people were very appreciative of having more things to see and do on the fairgrounds.”