Fourth-generation Coupeville farmer Georgie Smith has participated in most of the Whidbey Island Farm Tours.

She woke up Sunday morning expecting visitor traffic from a day earlier to drop off significantly like it normally does.

It didn’t.

“It was crazy busy,” Smith said.

Smith counted just over 700 people walking through her barn at Willowood Farm on Ebey’s Prairie with the numbers almost evenly split each day.

She said she can’t remember attendance being that high in the past, especially on the second day.

“Sundays, you expect 40 or 50 people,” she said.

Farmers throughout Whidbey showcased their land, structures, animals, products and lifestyles during the ninth annual tour.

Attendance at the three participating farms on Ebey’s Prairie ­— Willowood Farm, Prairie Bottom Farm and Sherman’s Pioneer Farm — appeared strong with a wide representation of guests, according to Karen Bishop, a Coupeville farmer and manager of the Whidbey Island Conservation District, a tour sponsor.

“The weather was just fabulous,” Bishop said. “Everyone was having a good time. I think what struck me this year is the people who came out were families, older couples, younger couples — just all over the board. A lot of people were just enjoying the opportunity to get on the farms.”

About 600 visitors came to Prairie Bottom Farm over two days, said Julieanna Purdue, who works the farm along with husband Wilbur.

Young guests were delighted by the recent hatch of about 40 baby chicks as well as a children’s corn maze, Purdue said.

The farmers also demonstrated how to thresh beans by hand.

“They were excited to see what’s going on behind the hedgerow,” she said, referring to a natural barrier that obscures the view of the crops from Engle Road.

One surprising discovery was a credit to the warm, dry weather over the summer.

“We were able to grow watermelon and cantaloupe right out in the field,” Purdue said.

Lydia Christiansen of Abundant Earth Fiber Mill in Clinton said participating in the Farm Tour for the first time was a very positive experience.

She said her fiber mill business just opened in June. She spent both days leading tours of the building and explaining the process of turning raw fiber into yarn.

“It was a big eye-opener for a lot of people,” said Christiansen, who counted about 200 guests over both days. “It was a great opportunity to express what I do and for our guests to see something new.”

Roy Miller of Pacific Winds Farm in Oak Harbor said he and his wife Patricia were able to showcase some of their farming practices, including rainwater collection and hugelkultur composting, which involves the slow decomposition of woody material.

Although his farming business is centered around acres of future Christmas trees, Miller said his wife’s vegetable garden produced an abundant yield this summer, which he shared with friends, family and neighbors.

Miller said they are thinking about participating in the Oak Harbor Farmers Market next year.