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Britt Music and Arts Festival attendance dropped by 8,000 this summer compared with the average for the last seven seasons, but CEO and President Donna Briggs said she and her staff are feeling “relief” looking back on the 2018 season. “We were very concerned in mid-August about the future of our music and comedy shows,” she said. In a continuation of what Briggs called an “eight-year history of smoke,” Britt had to cancel the final two shows in the Britt Orchestra schedule, and staffers were unsure whether they would be able to stage the rest of the performances because of wildfire smoke. The cancellations were just the second and third in Britt’s 57-year history. Briggs said it is too early for the nonprofit to know whether it will come out of the 2018 season in the red or black. Performances extended into September, so income statements won’t be ready until the end of October, she said. “We have no idea,” she said. Britt’s overall attendance and number of shows declined for the second year in a row: 52,174 people attended 34 shows this year. In 2017, 60,876 people attended 36 concerts, down from 63,640 attendees at 37 concerts in 2016. Average attendance, according to the festival, was 1,535 patrons per show, down from 1,691 in 2017 and 1,720 in 2016. Britt tried to mitigate its cancellations in part by moving concerts indoors to North Medford High School’s auditorium. Five shows were moved from the main stage to the high school when the smoke was at its worst. Briggs said the terms of that agreement are still being worked out, but at this point the festival has not paid the school district for the use of its facilities. The festival has improvements planned for the off-season, including replacing its aged picnic benches, which Briggs described as being “at the point of no return.” The nonprofit also will focus on improving the lawn. Briggs said Britt has “a seat at the table” when it comes to community efforts to prevent future wildfires that produce such destructive smoke. She declined to provide further details. Despite the cancellations, Britt still sold out some shows: every seat was taken at performances by Jeff Dunham, Rebelution, Jason Mraz and Jake Owen. “I think our staff really rose to the occasion and dealt with really dynamic conditions,” Briggs said. “I’m very proud of our staff.” Reach Mail Tribune reporter Kaylee Tornay at [email protected] or 541-776-4497. Follow her on Twitter @ka_tornay.