County Fair Promises a Mix of Old and New

By COLL METCALFE

Aug. 10, 1997 12 AM PT

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

VENTURA — From the finest hog call to the subtle techniques of champion cow-chip tossing, area residents will have plenty to do beginning Wednesday as the 1997 Ventura County Fair kicks off 12 days of jaw-clenching rides, eclectic entertainment, livestock competition and gastronomic delights.

For the past week, crews have been piecing together the county’s proudest spectacle. Tool-toting workers have already erected the fair’s signature Ferris wheel as well as a variety of whirlwind rides.

Expert pyrotechnists have almost finished preparing the launching site for their nightly fireworks displays. The agricultural pavilions are up, and by Monday the fair will be ready for the more than 250,000 people expected to walk through its gates.

“There’s going to be something here for everybody,” said fair publicist Teri Raley. “I promise that people are going to love this one.”

As in past years, the annual celebration, which carries the theme “Reach for the Stars,” will be a mix of the old and new.

Debuting exhibits include satellite photo images of the county, which highlight the region’s verdant swaths of agricultural land. Another addition is a camping demonstration by the National Park Service. Those newcomers will mesh nicely with the more traditional events such as the hugely popular floriculture exhibit, chili cook-off and Alaskan pig races.

Also at this year’s fair, many of the more than 40 competitions and 14 exhibits have been expanded to give fair buffs more to enjoy.

The grandstand area will play host to more than 20 events including four days of gritty rodeo competition, stock-car racing and performances by such acts as the Neville Brothers, Trisha Yearwood and cut-up parodist “Weird Al” Yankovic.

“I think diversity is such an integral part of the fair and we try to bring new things in every year,” Raley said. “But even people who’ve been to the fair many times before will find something new to entertain them.”

The Ventura County Fair has had a long tradition beginning in 1874 when it was just a small community festival and agricultural exposition at long-since-gone Trotting Park, an old equestrian and racing complex near the intersection of Seaward Avenue and Harbor Boulevard in Ventura.

In 1891, with the fair’s growing popularity, it moved to larger grounds in Port Hueneme. In 1914, the event finally settled at Ventura’s Seaside Park after the Foster family donated the land tucked between the coastline and the Ventura River.

During the Depression of the early 1930s and onset of World War II, the fair was put on hold as county residents occupied themselves with more pressing concerns.

But since 1945 the fair has become a tradition in which people from Piru to Thousand Oaks to Ojai come to celebrate their county’s unique character and agrarian tradition.

“Sometimes I’m asked why I keep doing this and I think it’s because I love it so much,” Raley said as she put final touches on the fair. “It restores your confidence in the past and future.”

Sponsored by the state’s 31st Agricultural District, the Ventura County Fair is budgeted from yearly proceeds in excess of $6 million generated by Seaside Park’s rents and ticket sales and proceeds from the off-track betting facility called the Derby Club.

Although park officials say the fair has never been a commercial moneymaker, it does post modest profits for the district.

“We are and always have been a self-supporting operation and our success has never depended on the fair,” said Michael Paluszak, Seaside Park’s general manager. “But by and large, the fair has always been successful, even though we don’t regard it as a way to make money.”

The fair, which will continue through Aug. 24, will offer special appreciation days with free admission for children under 12, military personnel, seniors and families.

Discounts for the fair’s battery of adrenaline-pumping rides will also be available at $20 for 20 rides until Tuesday, at the ticket office located next to Seaside Park’s main parking lot.

In a special deal this year, the fair will also sell daily all-you-can-ride wristbands for $14, or $9 with a coupon available at most Target stores. The offer is limited to Mondays through Thursdays, noon to 6 p.m.

To deal with the throngs of people expected at the fair, Metrolink will offer scheduled trains to the fair from Chatsworth, Simi Valley, Moorpark and Oxnard.

Free parking is available at all train stations and officials recommend that fair commuters arrive at least 10 minutes before departure.

The fair opens every day at 11 a.m. with exhibits closing at 10 p.m. The carnival, with its zooming roller coasters and lively midway, will open at noon.

Admission is $6 for adults, $3 for children 6 to 12 and seniors 55 and older. Youngsters 5 and under enter free.

In addition to the standard rides, cotton candy, corn dog booths and livestock expositions, the fair will feature the county’s quirkier side.

The Santa Barbara and Ventura counties’ chapter of the California Tortoise and Turtle Club will be on hand to display their pampered reptilian pets. Dozens have already signed up to compete for the best Spam recipe. Well-conditioned infant athletes are scheduled to go on all fours in the annual Diaper Derby.

In short, Raley promises, this fair will be one to remember.

“I have no doubt that people are going to love it,” she said. “It’s going to be the best 12 days of the year.”

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Getting to the Fair

Departure and arrival times for Metrolink trains to the Ventura County Fair on Saturday and Aug. 17, as well as Aug. 23 and 24. Fares are $8 round trip from Chatsworth, $6 round trip from Simi Valley and Moorpark, and $4 round trip from Camarillo and Oxnard. One-way fares are half that. Children 5 and younger as well as monthly pass holders ride free. Tickets may be purchased the day of travel at train stations, or in advance weekdays at Simi Valley, Moorpark and Camarillo city halls. All stations and trains are wheelchair-accessible. Some southbound trains may depart up to 5 minutes ahead of schedule. For information, call 808-LINK.

Northbound

Chatsworth

10:30 a.m.

11:45 a.m.

2:45 p.m.

Simi Valley

10:45 a.m.

12:01 p.m.

3:00 p.m.

Moorpark

11:05 a.m.

12:17 p.m.