COUNTYWIDE : Number of Factors Cited for Higher Turnout at County Fair

Sunny weather, new midway attractions, free music and nightly fireworks displays boosted attendance at this year’s Ventura County Fair, officials said Monday.

The final tally showed that 274,527 people attended the 12-day event that ended Sunday, compared to 267,563 fair-goers last year, for an increase of 2.6%, a fair spokeswoman said.

“We couldn’t have asked for better weather, and we got a lot of good comments on the fireworks,” said Michael Paluszak, fair general manager.

This year people did not have to pay to attend the music concerts, which may have also increased attendance, he said.

Although attendance figures show that 1989 brought 30,000 more visitors to the fair than in recent years, the statistic is misleading because the method of counting fair-goers has since changed. Attendance in 1989 and 1992 are actually comparable, Paluszak said.

The number of fair entries and exhibits were also up this year, said spokeswoman Teri Raley. Professional arts entries were up by 40%, and photography entries increased 20%. The total number of entries for all exhibits was not available Monday.

“Everything in general was bigger and better,” Paluszak said. “It’s the smoothest fair I’ve ever been involved in.”

Police said it was one of the quietest fairs ever. Sixteen people were arrested during the run of the fair, and 12 of those arrests were for minor offenses such as curfew or probation violations and public drunkenness, said Ventura Police Lt. Steve Bowman.

The other four arrests involved an attempted theft at one of the game booths, possession of a gun and some knives by two gang members and a prison parolee, and an allegation that one man was under the influence of drugs, Bowman said.

But Bowman said only one gang-related incident, a minor scuffle between rival gangs, occurred at the fair.

“We used to have to dedicate two officers just to process prisoners, and this year we didn’t have to do that,” Bowman said.

Bowman said people wearing gang attire were not allowed through the gates. About 200 gang members on probation were assigned early curfews and another 50 gang members were turned away because probation officers feared they could cause trouble.

County Fair Attendance (in thousands) 1988: 281,855 1989: 306,040 1990: 273,525 1991: 267,563 1992: 274,527