Crowds at Annual Fair Fail to Step Right Up : Recreation: Those attending the event seemed to enjoy themselves, but hot, sticky weather may have kept away the predicted crowd of 50,000.

Edd Pryor’s victory at the San Fernando Valley Fair was a sweet one.

Sure, he violated every rule of table etiquette. Yes, his face was smeared with blue goo. But in his hands he clutched a blue ribbon, proof that he was the fastest pie eater this side of Mulholland Drive.

“You just keep eating and gulping,” he said, after raising his arms in victory as onlookers applauded.

Although fair participants sported broad smiles, event organizers said they were disappointed by the sparse crowds at the Hansen Dam Sports Complex as attendance dipped far below expectations.

“It’s sad because it’s a beautiful fair,” Ted Nauman, fair spokesman who had projected crowds of 50,000 for the five-day event.

A fire inspector patrolling the grounds Sunday at 1 p.m. estimated the crowd at about 3,000. Nauman said he could not estimate total attendance since the Wednesday opening because admission tickets had not been counted. He predicted the tally will “be less than we’d hoped for.” Final figures will be available Monday.

This was the second year the 44th annual fair was held at Hansen Dam after being ousted from its longtime Devonshire Downs location.

Fair officials had hoped to increase attendance this year with added attractions, carnival rides, a midway and live entertainment. Despite the weak attendance, Nauman said the 51st Agricultural District, a state agency that sponsors the event, hopes to make the Hansen Dam area the permanent home of the fair.

Los Angeles police said that no arrests were made and that no crimes were reported at the fair.

Nauman blamed the thin crowd on searing temperatures and oppressive humidity. He did not believe the popular air show at Van Nuys Airport, which attracted about 60,000 on Saturday alone, siphoned off attendance.

“There’s 1.8 million people in the San Fernando Valley, he said. “There’s plenty of Valley residents to go around.”

The quiet grounds did not appear to dampen the spirits of many devoted fair-goers.

“We are just happy that they moved it somewhere,” said Miguel Rocha, 25, of Sun Valley after watching his 18-year-old brother bury his face in a blueberry pie.

Rocha has been faithfully attending the Valley fair since age 15, when he entered home-grown flowers and home-bred chickens in exhibits.

“I know it kept me out of trouble,” Rocha said. “I had my mind occupied with something else. I didn’t want to ditch. I didn’t want to do drugs.” The country atmosphere reminded Steve Bower of fairs in his native Iowa. He and his wife, Margie, brought their 2-year-old daughter, Caryn, along to show her real-life versions of the cartoon animals she watches on television.

“That’s a pig,” Caryn said clutching a ballon and pointing to a black prize-winning swine.

Bower preferred the fair to the zoo because of the rural feel: covered wagons, the smell of barbecue and the sounds of country-Western music playing.

Many vendors said that sales were lower than they expected. One arts-and-crafts vendor, Denise Windwalker, entered a competitive event during her down time.

“I won the hog-calling contest,” Windwalker said with pride.

“It has to do with volume, originality and being willing to make a fool of yourself,” she said, laughing.

Although the fair was undoubtedly a slice of Americana, there were some harsh reminders of contemporary problems.

State agricultural officials conducted a workshop to inform the public about the crop devastation that would grip the state if the notorious Mediterranean fruit fly were to take hold.

All produce entered in exhibits had to be inspected by agricultural officials to ensure that it was not infested with Medfly larvae. The produce was kept segregated according to its area of origin.