Attendance Dips Slightly, but Officials Happy on All Counts

Nearly 50,000 people passed through the gates during the 41st annual Conejo Valley Days, a crowd slightly smaller than last year and less than organizers had expected.

But few seemed to mind. The annual western-themed community picnic once again raised big cash for 77 charities that ran concessions booths.

“There was no negative at all,” said Jerry Oberle, a member of the Newbury Park Optimists Club and chairman of concessions for the festival that drew 49,892 over five days. A chili cook-off the previous weekend attracted an additional 15,000.

“Naturally, everybody hopes to do a whole lot better each year, but that’s not going to happen. Most of the [revenues for] vendors were up significantly.”

Organizers anticipated 55,000 people would turn out for this year’s event. But in the end, about 200 fewer people than last year showed up. Conejo Valley Days’ attendance hit an all-time high in 1991 at 56,198.

Publicity director Mary Elva Anderson attributed the drop to a push among organizers to attract festival-goers on Thursday’s Family Night.

Organizers sent fliers to area schools and increased newspaper publicity efforts to lure more people to Family Night, when 11,212 people paid roughly half-price rates and bought unlimited-ride wristbands for $5. Organizers believe many people who might have come normally on a weekend or for a second time for more rides came on Thursday.

“Family Night was a big draw this year,” Anderson said. “I think it balanced itself out.”

But the big winners this year were Conejo Valley charities, thanks in large part to the annual grand marshal race and its record nine candidates.

Each year, candidates for grand marshal--nominated by their sponsoring service organizations--have six weeks to raise as much money as they can. The largest fund-raiser is selected grand marshal.

This year, the higher number of candidates--there are usually three to five--raised a record $80,000, 40% of which goes back into a fund used to put on Conejo Valley Days. The service organizations that nominated candidates keep a proportionate share of the money they raised to help their candidates by staging things like Monte Carlo and spaghetti nights, golf tournaments, powwows and moonlight dances.

Indeed, Conejo Valley Days is much more than a weeklong social event. It represents a welcome influx of cash to charities in the region that operate the festival’s game and food booths, organizers said.

“It’s a time that the community pulls together and they just go out and have one big picnic,” said Oberle, who also is chairman of the Optimists Club’s barbecue sandwich stand. “I might not see a person for a year, but I know every year I’ll see them at the chili cook-off. It strikes up old friendships.”

Oberle said final concessions revenue has yet to be tallied, but that early data show an increase over last year.

“It’s vitally important to bring together the people of this valley and to help the organizations that work so hard,” said Arlene Goldberg, the new executive director of the Conejo Youth Employment Service, which operated a pizza booth at the fair. “What could be wrong with rides and food and games and crafts?”

Seventy volunteers staffed a Domino’s Pizza booth for the nonprofit group, which helps area youth find jobs and work training.

Though still adding its take from this year, the organization reels in an average of about $5,000 annually from the event, money that accounts for about 5% of the group’s annual budget.

Meanwhile, by midday Monday, all the rides at Conejo Creek Park were down, boxed and ready to be moved to the next event. The stage was taken apart and the big tent collapsed.

But organizers don’t have to wait another 12 months to get involved with next year’s event.

Just like they do every year, they’ll take the month of May off, and then regroup for twice-monthly meetings in June to begin planning for the 1998 program.