First Ventura County Fair in 3 years brings 270,486 visitors, increased revenues
The first Ventura County Fair held in three years attracted fewer people than in 2019, but higher ticket prices helped bring a 40% jump in admissions revenue.
The 12-day fair that ended Sunday drew 270,486 visitors, about 11% fewer than the nearly 303,000 who attended the last fair before COVID-19 spawned cancellations in 2020 and 2021.
Ticket prices at the gate rose from $12 for most adults in 2019 to $15 this year. Revenue from admissions increased from nearly $1.9 million in 2019 to $2.6 million, officials said Tuesday.
The numbers are impressive given the uncertainty of the pandemic, said Leah Lacayo, board president for the county fairgrounds.
"I think all in all it was a really successful fair. I didn't know what to expect," she said. "At any point in time something could have happened. A band could have gotten ill or a performer could have canceled."
The fair is believed to be the most-attended event in the county since the pandemic began. Challenges included finding workers for the fair and dealing with a decrease in exhibits.
"The (garden) entries were down quite a lot," said Barbara Schneider, longtime floriculture superintendent. She said the decline was likely linked to the new requirement all items be submitted online and expressed hope exhibits will grow next year.
"I think it was the beginning of a new world for us," she said. "I think next year will be wonderful."
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The two years of canceled fairs also affected some exhibits, said Valerie Ulmer, home arts superintendent.
"A few people I talked to since the fair said it kind of snuck up on them," she said.
Little information has been released about a break-in at the fair's administrative building early on the morning of Aug. 10. California Highway Patrol spokesman Vince Rangel said an undisclosed amount of cash was stolen. No arrests have been made and the investigation is continuing.
Participation in the junior livestock auction was down from 2019 but the event still brought in $1.5 million for kids raising pigs, steers and lambs. A food drive held during the fair also brought in 2,810 pounds for the nonprofit Food Share organization along with cash donations.
"For us the focus is never about the numbers of people coming into the gates, but about the quality of the experience our guests have and about the number of smiles we see as fair visitors head home,” CEO Barbara Quaid said in a news release.
The fair also marks the end of Quaid's 17-year run as lead administrator. Quaid, who started volunteering at the fair 50 years ago, announced her retirement two years ago but kept working part time. She'll be replaced by Stacy Rianda, former deputy manager of the Fresno Fairgrounds. Rianda started her stint as CEO earlier this summer.
Tom Kisken covers health care and other news for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at tom.kisken@vcstar.com or 805-437-0255.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: First Ventura County Fair of pandemic attracts more than 270K people
