Supremacist Casts Cloud Over Simi’s Annual Party : Demonstration: Officials fear a chili cook-off and other events will be spoiled by Richard Barrett’s rally.

Simi Valley is throwing itself a party, but local leaders fear the fun may be spoiled by an uninvited visitor from Mississippi--white supremacist Richard Barrett.

The annual Simi Valley Days celebration will roar into gear Saturday with a chili cook-off, a barn dance, a horse show and tours of an historic train depot.

But at the same time, Barrett, a lawyer who leads the Nationalist Movement, plans to hold a rally at the East County Courthouse to show support for the four Los Angeles police officers acquitted in the Rodney G. King beating trial.

Some officials are concerned that Barrett’s rally and an expected large counterdemonstration will revive the city’s unwanted ties to the King case and steal the spotlight from Simi Valley Days.

“I think personally that it’s bad timing,” said Mayor Greg Stratton. “My Rotary Club is doing the chili cook-off, and I’m not excited about the fact that I may have to miss it.”

The mayor said he will probably be stationed Saturday at a police command post. If violence erupts and extra officers from outside the city are needed, Stratton will have to be on hand to authorize such a request, he said.

“If I had my druthers, I’d rather be at the chili cook-off,” he said.

After Ventura County Sheriff John Gillespie told Simi Valley officials last week that he could not afford to send enough deputies and other officers to protect Barrett during the parade he originally requested, city officials asked Gov. Pete Wilson to provide National Guard assistance.

But on Wednesday, state officials said they did not plan to send troops to Simi Valley. They said the city should look to neighboring law enforcement agencies for help under mutual-aid programs.

State troops or California Highway Patrol officers could be sent to the city, however, if the rally leads to a disturbance that overwhelms officers from Simi Valley, Ventura County and neighboring areas, said Tom Mullins, a spokesman for the state Office of Emergency Services.

“State agencies have been notified and would be available if necessary,” Mullins said.

Simi Valley Police Chief Lindsey P. Miller said he plans to restrict Barrett to a stationary outdoor rally at the courthouse, guarded by local police and about 100 deputies. No parade will be permitted, he said.

Simi Valley Days organizers said they do not expect Barrett’s rally to keep local residents from attending the festival. But Stratton said the prospect of a volatile rally and counterdemonstration--even though they will take place across town--could scare away a few chili cooks who live outside the city.

Barrett and six followers tried to stage a similar rally June 6 near the courthouse, but Simi Valley police halted it after violence erupted among some of the 300 counterdemonstrators.

Simi Valley Days organizers said they made no moves to reschedule their events after Barrett chose Sept. 12 for his return date.

“We don’t have our heads buried in the sand,” said Frank W. White, chairman of the chili cook-off, which will be held at the Simi Drive-In theater at 361 Tierra Rejada Road. “But at the same time, we’re not going to let someone like Barrett come in here and dictate what events we can and cannot have.”

Simi Valley Days is an annual community festival that originated in the 1930s. It has evolved into a series of family-oriented events at various locations to raise funds for civic groups.

A Miss Simi Valley pageant, a bowling tournament and a softball tournament kicked off Simi Valley Days last month. Other popular activities, such as the chili cook-off, the barn dance and the horse show, will be held this weekend at various locations.

The main festival, featuring a carnival, a rodeo, a merchants’ tent and musical entertainment, will take place Sept. 16 through 20 at Los Angeles Avenue and Madera Road. A parade along Los Angeles Avenue will be held Sept. 19.

Some community leaders said they were disappointed that the Barrett rally and counterdemonstration, involving perhaps 400 people, will receive far more attention from the news media than the chili cook-off, which may draw up to 4,000 people.

“We’re requesting that the media play down Barrett’s visit and place the emphasis . . . on Simi Valley Days,” said Ed Levine, chairman of Simi Valley Days.

Community leaders said the family-oriented Simi Valley Days will present a far more accurate picture of local life than the Barrett rally and the debates it will ignite about racism and the King beating verdict.

“I know it’s very newsworthy to have someone like a white supremacist coming here,” said Burt von Bieberstein, publicity chairman for Simi Valley Days. “But it doesn’t represent Simi Valley.”

Still, Cindy Pandolfi, co-chairwoman of the Simi Valley Days Charity Horse Show, said that by simultaneously hosting a horse show, a chili cook-off and a rally on the King case, Simi Valley will demonstrate that it has become a more sophisticated and diverse city.

“I think it’s very healthy,” she said.

Pandolfi said Barrett’s rally outside the courthouse will have no impact on her horse show. “The less attention paid to him, the better,” she said. “Our function has absolutely no interest in his shenanigans whatsoever.”