Attendance Down Slightly at the Antelope Valley Fair : Lancaster: Early food sales and carnival receipts are higher than 1993’s tallies.

Attendance during the opening weekend at this year’s Antelope Valley Fair and Alfalfa Festival dipped slightly from 1993’s figures, but early fair-goers apparently spent more freely on refreshments, carnival rides and satellite horse race wagering.

From Friday afternoon through Sunday night, the paid attendance at this year’s fair was 41,865, compared to 46,016 for the same period last year.

Bruce Latta, the fair’s general manager, said the attendance drop was not a cause for immediate alarm because the weather, the economy and special events at the fair can affect daily figures.

Latta said he was pleased to see that early food sales and carnival receipts were higher than those during the same period last year.

In addition, attendance was up at the fair’s Watch and Wager Center, where gamblers place bets on live televised horse races elsewhere in the state. The fair keeps a percentage of these bets.

The only major glitch was the cancellation of the fair’s fireworks show on Friday and Sunday nights because a state fire marshal refused to approve the technician’s equipment, Latta said.

The fair manager said he is working with the fireworks company to correct the problems.

No major crime problems occurred during the fair’s opening weekend, said Los Angeles Sheriff’s Sgt. Chris Walker. About five people were arrested for fighting or entering the grounds without paying, he said. Another 10 people were escorted off the grounds when they became involved in a scuffle Friday night, he said.

“It’s been incredibly calm,” Walker said. “People can come here in confidence and just have a good time with their families.”

The fair continues through Monday.