Fair Sets Attendance Record in Peaceful 1st Weekend

The Antelope Valley Fair and Alfalfa Festival in Lancaster is off to a fast and peaceful start, fair officials said Monday, setting two attendance records during a weekend that was almost trouble-free.

The 52nd annual edition of the fair, which opened Friday and runs through Labor Day, had a total attendance of 38,146 Sunday, including 20,870 paid entrants. Both figures set records for the first Sunday of a fair, said fair spokeswoman Sheila Burnette.

The strong showing Sunday brought total attendance for the first three days of the fair to 100,372, including 58,566 paid entrants, fair officials said. Those working at the 11-day event or participating in any of its many contests do not have to pay for admission.

Fair officials credited population growth in the area, comfortable weather and their own efforts at improving the annual celebration for the strong attendance start. They hope to beat last year’s total fair admission figure of 313,222, including 188,212 paid entrants.

Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies reported no serious law enforcement problems or injuries during the opening weekend. They did, however, eject one large group of gang members on Friday and another group on Saturday, a spokesman said.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Gordon Carn said that the groups of about 30 gang members--the one on Friday from the Antelope Valley and the other on Saturday from the San Fernando Valley--were running and pushing through the crowd, but that they left when asked by deputies.

Deputies made only three arrests, all for public intoxication--two on Friday night and one on Saturday night, Carn said. Beer and wine are sold at the fairgrounds to help raise money for the event. But there were no assaults and only a few minor accidental injuries, he said.

Deputies have a command post at the fair that is open daily from 10 a.m. until one hour after the fair’s closing, which varies from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. “So far, it’s been an uneventful fair for us,” Carn said. “But if it stays warm during the week, stand by for Friday, Saturday and Sunday; there’s going to be a lot of people around here.”

Fair officials also reported that the Kenny Rogers concert scheduled for 8 p.m. Friday at the 9,700-seat Redman Grandstand has sold out. It’s the first time in at least several years that the fair, which usually offers about five concerts each year, has had a sellout.