Indulgence for a Cause : Conejo Valley Days: Patrons can eat, drink and be merry--and help charitable organizations.

Gluttony has never been so philanthropic.

At the 37th annual Conejo Valley Days, every concessionaire is hawking a cause, every barker is promoting a charity.

So fork over $2.50 for that beer--your money goes to a home for abused children. Indulge in that corn dog--proceeds benefit a local basketball team. Gobble up that cheesy pizza--you’re supporting a youth employment program.

More than 60 local service groups and nonprofit organizations rely on the five-day festival--which continues through Sunday--as their biggest fund-raiser of the year.

By selling food and running games, the clubs rake in anywhere from a few hundred dollars to $35,000. Every penny of profit gets funneled into their activities or donated to charities.

That means you can eat, drink, and be merry, guilt-free. It’s all for a good cause--even if you don’t know exactly which one.

“Most people don’t have a clue where the money goes,” said Steve Rubenstein, president of the Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce. “A lot of the smaller clubs get their entire budgets for the year from Conejo Valley Days. But the general public is just there to have a good time.”

Touted as the biggest all-volunteer fair this side of the Mississippi, the half-million dollar extravaganza takes a full year--and a lot of dedication--to organize.

The Chamber of Commerce staff coordinates publicity and takes care of vital administrative tasks, such as securing insurance and preparing the grassy field that serves as a parking lot at the festival’s Conejo Creek Park site, at the Moorpark Freeway and Janss Road.

After that, it’s up to the volunteers.

Starting with just $5,000 in seed money from the Chamber of Commerce, hundreds of volunteers pull the festivities together, kicking off with a Tiny Tots contest in March and culminating in the five-day carnival. The 70 committee leaders assume responsibility for admission gate security, the Monday-after cleanup and everything in between.

“We do 100 fairs a year, and Conejo Valley Days is one of the rare exceptions to the rule, because it recognizes and promotes community service to an outstanding level,” said Joe Pate, vice president of Trafton and Associates, the Fontana company that runs the carnival rides. “The thing that carries Conejo Valley Days is the tremendous volunteer effort.”

To pull it off, the committee must raise almost half a million dollars.

Some revenue comes from renting space to the vendors who offer woven purses, gold-painted cowboy hats and other trinkets in the big tent. New this year is the home-improvement tent, which holds 18 additional spaces. Booths cost $400 to $500 for five days.

But the biggest bucks come from the carnival itself.

Each nonprofit group that sells food or games kicks back 6% of its intake to the Conejo Valley Days organizing committee. Ticket sales from the fair’s four-dozen rides, which cost $1 to $2.50 a pop, also deposit money into the committee’s coffers. Pate declined to say what percentage of his proceeds go to the festival.

In addition, separate fund-raisers pour dollars into the committee’s war chest in weeks leading up to the big blowout. The Grand Marshal campaign, a series of benefits, generated more than $44,000 this year--half to support Conejo Valley Days and half for the contestants’ charities of choice.

With all that money flowing in, plus tens of thousands in ticket sales, the committee can afford to sponsor money-losing events like the rodeo, pony rides and a kickoff picnic, organizers said.

Last year, Conejo Valley Days came up short for the first time in its history--the chamber had to cover a $25,000 loss, Rubenstein said. The chamber made up the shortfall from its annual budget of about $840,000.

Usually, though, the event turns a profit, which the chamber invests in the community. In recent years, the chamber has bought new bleachers for Cal Lutheran University and a whirlpool for the YMCA using leftover funds from Conejo Valley Days.

And when it’s all over, when the balance sheet is tallied and the last stray napkin is picked up, the volunteers start afresh, planning for the next year’s Conejo Valley Days. After 37 years, enthusiasm hasn’t flagged a bit.

“It’s our single-largest fund-raiser,” explained Ron Polanski, president of the Thousand Oaks Kiwanis Club. “It’s really a lot of fun. It’s just a great time.”