COSTA MESA : Fair Board OKs Bid by Carnival Operator

Carnival operator Ray Cammack Shows Inc. was selected earlier this week to provide rides and games at the Orange County Fair under a three-year contract.

On Monday, the Fair Board decided to award the bid to the Laveen, Ariz.-based company, but the decision will not be final until the board of directors officially approves the contract at its Feb. 23 board meeting, said Jill Lloyd, a spokeswoman for the fairgrounds.

For the past decade, the Yuma, Ariz.-based B&B; has put on the carnival, but this year, Lloyd said, the company met stiff competition from RCS, which agreed to make $600,000 in capital improvements at the fairgrounds over the next three years if chosen.

Other factors weighing in favor of RCS were the rides it plans to provide.

The Top Spin and the Evolution, both of which appeared at Munich’s Oktoberfest last year, are among about 50 rides that will be at the fair, which will take place July 7-23.

Other rides include the Looping Star roller coaster and the Orbiter, said Ben Arnold, director of marketing communications for RCS.

Also in the lineup are a 100-foot tall Ferris wheel, a “Kidland,” where children play until they win a prize, and a 50-foot-in-diameter carousel.

RCS is the carnival operator for the Los Angeles County Fair in Pomona, which takes place annually in September.

Under the contract with the Orange County Fair, RCS will get 65% of the revenue generated by the rides, leaving the fair with 35%. If ride revenue exceeds $1 million, then the RCS will get 75%.

Last year, the rides generated $2 million, of which the fair took in $999,000.