So Far, Fair Attendance Is 5% Over Last Year

Despite cool and cloudy weather, some traffic snarls and train snafus, the 1996 Ventura County Fair could draw the largest number of visitors in the past several years, fair officials say.

As of Sunday night, 110,523 people had visited Seaside Park, a 5% increase over last year, according to fair spokeswoman Teri Raley. The fair closes next Sunday.

Even though there has been a large number of motorists, presenting some traffic problems at Seaside Park, Metrolink officials report a 15% increase in train ridership from last year.

And more than 600 passengers climbed aboard Amtrak’s northbound train Saturday, nearly 400 people more than usual, company spokesman Ivan Rushing said. Sunday’s numbers were about one-third less, but still higher than usual.

Despite the larger crowds, security officials said there had not been any major disturbances at the fair. Except for a few minor scuffles, security officials said, the past six days have been exceptionally calm.

“It’s been unbelievable,” said Mark Zelman, Seaside Park’s security director. “This is my third fair here and this is the best one we’ve had. There are a lot more families that are coming to it. Even at night we don’t have the gang problems.”

Fair crowds usually increase during the weekends, said Ventura Police Lt. Carl Handy. The sudden surge in numbers can at times create traffic problems for commuters. Bottlenecks are frequent in the areas surrounding Seaside Park’s main parking lot. Since several streets like California, Thompson and Figueroa are closed to traffic, entering the park could turn into a time-consuming and patience-trying adventure.

“We’ve had significant numbers of people here so it gets to be a traffic jam,” Handy said.

To avoid those traffic headaches, Raley suggested taking advantage of the various shuttle services available at the Buenaventura Mall, the Ventura County Government Center and Ventura High School.

“When [the lot] fills up and you get stuck in [traffic], it is the most frustrating thing in the world,” Raley said. “We prefer that people do it the easy way.”

But commuters riding Metrolink and Amtrak were faced with a one-hour delay Sunday due to a minor glitch. Seaside Park maintenance crews and an Amtrak conductor worked together to quickly fix the problem, said Amtrak spokesman Rushing, and the trains were running again within an hour.

Fair-goers may also have to don a sweater and long pants in the late afternoon. Although the weather has been in the mid-70s during the day, evenings have been cool. Due to heavy fog Friday night, the fireworks show was cut short.

But Saturday and Sunday visitors got an extra long show due to the unused fireworks from the night before, Raley said.

The weekend was also good for fair vendors like Manfred Schoppe, a leather belt and buckle salesman.

“The weekends are good,” said Schoppe, who runs the stand with his wife, Trudy. “Weekdays are slower than before. People have more choices and only a limited amount of money.”