LANGLEY — Summer heat, gas prices and the whooping cough scare kept some Choochokam visitors away, but those who came said it was the best festival ever.

On an unusually hot and sunny Whidbey weekend, Choochokam artists reported great sales and a steady flow of listeners watched 56 bands play on four stages. But it all seemed a little bit less busy and crowded than in past years.

Choochokam director Patricia Friedman said while many praised this year’s festival, the arts fair faced some challenges and drew a smaller-than-usual crowd.

Many visitors and vendors speculated that the whooping cough outbreak on Whidbey Island may have kept some visitors away this year.

The outbreak, which started in the Coupeville area but then spread on South Whidbey, received much attention from mainland media.

Mayor Paul Samuelson said TV crews swarmed Langley Thursday and Friday, but they weren’t there to advertise Langley’s biggest street fair. Instead, they came to report on the “epidemic” on South Whidbey.

One TV station reported that it was a bad idea to visit an outdoor festival, while doctors on the island announced that the outbreak had peaked and was on the decline.

Friedman said the “sensationalized” coverage may have had some impact.

“We had a friend and one food vendor not come because of whooping cough,” she said.

The organizers saw no risk.

“We had a lot of people who had no clue what I was talking about,” she said. “It was a non-issue to us.”

In addition, Friedman said, high gas prices made the trip to the island more expensive. Combined with people having less spending money in their pockets due to the economic downturn, organizers said it may have had an impact on festival attendance.

“I have two friends who said, ‘I would really like to come to Choochokam, but we have no extra cash,’” she said.

Those who did show up, however, had a great experience.

“Whoever was there said they had the best show ever,” Friedman said.

Marcy Johnson of Weaving Works in Freeland said she noticed that there were less visitors, but it didn’t hurt her sales.

“I had a great time; made almost twice as much money as last year,” she said.

Johnson said many exhibitors talked about the whooping cough scare as the reason for fewer feet on the street.

Mark Hudak from Tacoma sold pottery at Choochokam.

“I did OK saleswise and the fair was pleasant,” he said.

“There did seem to be less people there. It probably was the heat,” Hudak added. “Also you might consider the widespread effect of gas on all costs and our lagging economy.”

But Hudak also said the art show circuit is unpredictable.

“After doing shows for 25 years, the wisdom is such that you win some, you lose some. It’s pretty much a crap shoot,” Hudak said.

“If you figure it out precisely you could make a million selling the formula. Next year, it could rain or be 100 degrees. Even with those things sales might go really well,” he added.

Despite the setbacks, Choochokam organizers called the festival a success.

“We are only into the second year of Choochokam Arts as an organization, and feel great about the direction the festival is taking,” said Sherry Mays, president of Choochokam and the publisher of The Record.

“Although numbers of visitors may have been down, there were still record sales being made,” she added. “We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback pertaining to the flow of the festival and the partnering organizations.”

Mays said innovations such as the new half marathon were well received.

“Choochokam Arts was really proud of the effort Matt Simms put into organizing Langley’s first-ever half marathon,” she said. “It was unknown how this event would affect Sunday morning’s opening of the festival. It just added to the fun. To hear people cheering on finishers with folksy vocals bellowing from the mainstage was just about surreal.”

Michaela Marx Wheatley can be reached at mmarxwheatley@southwhidbeyrecord.com or 221-5300.