RALEIGH — The N.C. State Fair closed Sunday with a total attendance of 965,297, good enough for third-highest all-time.

“I always judge a fair by how much fun people are having, and it looked like people had a great time at the 2012 State Fair,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler in a news release announcing the final numbers. “I want to thank everyone for coming out this year.”

Through Food Lion Hunger Relief Day on Oct. 18, the fair continued its support of the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina. Preliminary estimates show that fair patrons brought in more than 213,000 pounds of canned food to benefit the food bank.

Competitions remained a popular feature of the State Fair, including a record 9,000 entries in the flower and garden shows. The livestock, horticulture, and arts and photography competitions also had high participation.

The fair played host to three sold-out concerts — two by Garner’s own Scott McCreery and one by country music star Jake Owen.

New entertainment at the fair included the Kenya Safari Acrobats, the One Man Band, Spoon Man and the Tree of Life.

Troxler said organizers will soon begin planning for the 2013 N.C. State Fair, scheduled for Oct. 17-27.