Attendance at Fair Declines From Last Year : Entertainment: A ‘frugal’ economy and bad weather are cited to explain the 9% drop in paid admissions. Figures for Sunday were unavailable.

Paid attendance at the Ventura County Fair has slipped by more than 9% this year as people apparently shied away from the annual event because of a poor economy and bad weather, officials said Sunday.

Fair officials said an estimated 147,629 people paid admission during the first 11 days of the 12-day event, a drop from the 162,575 fair-goers who bought tickets during the same time period last year.

Overall admission, including those with complimentary passes, slid from 246,921 last year to 228,713 this year, a decline of 7.3%, officials said. The number of people who turned out for the last day--traditionally one of the event’s most popular days--was not available Sunday evening.

Spending at the fair also decreased, with carnival revenues dropping by 6.7% as of Friday and parking revenues down by 5%, Raley said. No figures from concession stands were available on Sunday.

“I think we’ve got a frugal economy and we haven’t been blessed with terrific weather,” fair spokeswoman Teri Raley said.

Raley said she was not worried by the decline, judging it to be within acceptable industry standards during a year of poor economy. “Even if we’re 7% down, we’re happy,” she said.

Fair officials had projected that free evening concerts would draw 4% more people this year. They hoped that the extra attendance would increase revenues, helping to make up for past financial problems.

Attendance at 45 county fairs and fruit festivals throughout the state this summer has been uneven, with some registering increases of 14% and others noting sharp declines of 33%, officials said. But overall attendance at the fairs increased by 3.5% said Kim Myrman, assistant director of the state Department of Food and Agriculture division of Fairs and Expositions.

The variance in attendance may depend on weather conditions, entertainment programs and how severely communities are affected by the recession, Myrman said. “The recession has played into fair attendance and fair spending,” she said.

Ventura County fair officials said they were hoping that Sunday might generate a big enough crowd to boost total attendance figures and narrow the gap from last year.

“We may do well on closing day simply because people have put off coming because of bad weather,” Raley said. “We’re crossing our fingers.”

Early signs on Sunday were encouraging. The sun broke through the coastal clouds about noon. Half an hour later, the fairgrounds’ 3,000-car parking lot was full. A 400-person arena was standing room only during the lip-syncing contest. And at least one fair-goer said he noticed no decline in attendance.

“It looks too crowded to me,” said Simi Valley resident Bob Young as he maneuvered his 2-year-old daughter’s stroller through a line to get a steaming mound of fries.

But many carnival workers said their business was down by 20% to 50% this season.

“It’s way slow,” said Steve Booth, who works at a dart-throwing stand on the midway. He said his business is down about 50% since last year. In an effort to draw in customers, he has offered some people chances to throw a dart for free. Each try usually costs $1. “It’s way slow.”

Booth has also taken to shouting, wheedling and coaxing them as they pass the stand. Otherwise, he said, they see the price and just keep walking.

“I just like standing here and taking the money,” Booth said. “I don’t like to yell. My voice is going out already.”

Mario Genna said business was barely dribbling in at the basketball free-throw game where he works. “Bummer,” Genna said, as he gave a thumbs-down gesture to describe business. “Drag.” He attributed the lack of business to the “misty, cold fog.”

Fair-goer Rita Ortega, 38, said she thought it had more to do with the economy. She said she thought people were financially strapped and having difficulty paying the $6 admission charges--a $1 increase over last year. Children and senior citizens got in for $3.

“It costs $6 for an adult to get in,” Ortega said. “You might as well go to a movie and sit down for an hour.”

But she said the lower attendance meant shorter lines and less-crowded exhibits.

“It’s nice,” Ortega said. “It’s not as overwhelming.”

Diane Salerno, 44, of Santa Paula said she also enjoyed the unexpected benefit of fewer people. “I was expecting it to be more crowded than it is,” Salerno said. “I’m glad. “It makes it more pleasant not to be crowded.”