Fair Closes After Setting Attendance Records

The Orange County Fair ended its record-breaking 12-day run Sunday, a day after setting an all-time attendance mark for a single session, fair officials said.

“We’ve broken every attendance record during the 12-day run, with the exception of last Friday. But 11 records for each day out of 12 isn’t too bad, is it,” said Diane Sorensen, a fair spokeswoman.

Officially, Saturday’s fair attendance--despite numerous competing attractions in Southern California--was 74,891.

Sorensen said that mark surpassed the previous record of 73,801, which was set on the second Friday of the 1987 run.

As the fair headed into its last day, 490,029 visitors had passed through the turnstiles, compared to 435,787 for the same period last year.

Of course, large crowds meant long lines for people trying to enter the fair, park their vehicles and enjoy the amusement rides.

One couple, Greg and Shelly Calkins, vacationing from Grand Junction, Colo., said they got tired from the long walk after they left their car “in the very last aisle” of the fair’s parking lot.

But once inside, they had a good time. Greg lofted his wife on top of his shoulders and, on the count of three, they were immortalized on film while riding a surfboard on a make-believe ocean wave.

At $5 a photograph, vendor Peter Schworer of Huntington Beach said, this year’s fair was extremely lucrative. “It’s the best fair we’ve ever done,” said Schworer, president of Mak’n Waves Inc. “We’ve had a combination of good weather and lots of people who saw our wave and had their picture taken.”

Didn’t Mind Waiting in Line

Inside, thousands of people didn’t mind standing in lines for popular rides and such nourishment as fresh-baked cinnamon rolls, fried zucchini and beer.

Sorensen attributed the fair’s large turnouts to a combination of entertainment, promotion and side attractions.

For example, she said, Saturday’s record was set with the help of country and Western singer Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers; a rodeo, and disc jockeys from radio station KLOS-FM, who transmitted live from the fairgrounds.

“And we had several contests for the fair participants during the day. We like to keep them busy,” Sorensen said.

At noon Sunday, the fair was once again on a record-setting attendance pace, Sorensen said, with an attendance figure of 11,969 people.

Sunday night’s musical entertainment attraction of the reunion of Tony Orlando and Dawn was expected to be standing room only.

Sorensen did not have immediate revenue figures available. In 1988, however, parking and admission revenue hit an all-time high of $1.6 million. In 1987, the figure was $1.5 million.

The carnival, B & B Amusements, took in $1.12 million in gross receipts in 1988. This was also a record, up from 1987, which was $1.1 million, Sorensen said.

But for some, the fair’s final day became a test of emotional courage.

Heidi Gugler, 15, of Fullerton was one of hundreds of Orange County students who cleaned livestock pens and fed their pets all spring, fattening them up for sale at the fair.

For Heidi, Sunday was the most difficult day of her young life. After raising “Porky,” a stocky, 235-pound Duroc hog, for 6 months, she had to summon her courage to say goodby.

“I’m really going to hate seeing him go. I sold him at auction and the last time I’m going to be able to see him is tonight (Sunday) at 10 p.m. They’re going to put him in a truck and take him away,” Heidi said, as she lovingly sprayed her pig with cool water from a squeeze bottle.

Actually, Porky is a she, not a he, Heidi said, “but I can’t call a pig a ‘her.’ It doesn’t sound right.”

As a young businesswoman, Heidi bought Porky through a farm program at Sunny Hills High School for $75 when he weighed only 50 pounds. During the months with Porky, she fed him, cared for him and learned a lot about farm animals.

$91 in Pig Profit

“I sold him for $1.25 a pound and I’m going to get about $91 in profit, minus 7%, which goes to the auctioneer,” she said proudly.

Will it be difficult to say goodby?

“Uh, huh. My parents told me not to get too attached because I would have to give him up eventually. But he learned the sound of my voice and when I called him he recognized me and he would come to me.

“And look,” she said, bending down and giving the porker a nice scratch, “he just loves this.”

Porky raised his big head and snorted.

“You know, pigs are smart too. They’re smarter than rabbits, and even dogs, and another thing . . . .”