Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Crowds Shrink, but Fair Profits Grow

The 56th annual Antelope Valley Fair and Alfalfa Festival had fewer visitors but made more money than last year, officials said Wednesday.

“People measure the success of a fair by attendance, but there are a lot of other factors,” festival General Manager Bruce Latta said. “It was a great fair, a lot of people came to the fair and enjoyed themselves.”

The 11-day festival also had its share of problems.

Ten people were arrested, including a male employee who was booked for rape when he allegedly attacked a female employee several hours before the fair started, authorities said.

The others were arrested for assault, battery, trespassing and cocaine possession, said Sgt. Chris Walker of the Antelope Valley Sheriff’s Station. The same number of arrests were made at last year’s fair.

Other problems included a roller coaster that had to be temporarily closed after two accidents on the ride injured nine people. Latta said that an operator was to blame.

Officials also had to cancel a fireworks show after neighbors reported burning debris falling on their roofs, Latta said.

Total attendance, including employees and other free admissions, was 231,610, about 11,000 less than last year, officials said. Organizers had hoped to draw 300,000 people but say daytime temperatures topping 100 degrees kept many away.

Although attendance was lower than expected, revenues increased about 6% from concessions and carnival ticket sales. Receipts for beer sales are still being tallied, Latta said.

Fair officials said they made a $10,000 profit, which will be returned to a fair fund.

Concerts featuring big-name acts such as Clint Black and Randy Travis did well, but overall the festival’s live performances drew 500 fewer patrons than last year. Performers Hank Williams Jr. and the Smothers Brothers were apparently not very popular with the Antelope Valley fair-goers, Latta said.

“I think next year we will do a little more for teen-agers,” he said.