Rides Into the Sunset

From atop the Ventura County Fair’s 10-story Ferris wheel, it’s difficult to believe that in just two days every vestige of this 62-acre spectacle will be gone.

By now almost all the rides and vendors’ booths have been disassembled and packed into trailers and are headed toward another fair in some other county in some other state.

“The day after the fair I don’t want to see the midway,” said fair publicist Teri Raley, who has helped organize the fair for 17 years. “It’s almost too sad.”

The 1997 Ventura County Fair ended much as it began Sunday as thousands of area residents bathed in sunshine queued up for rides like the Zipper or a 2-pound block of deep-fried spiral fries before the fair rolled away and down the road until it returns next year.

For many like Joanne Padula, a 39-year-old homemaker from Ojai, Sunday was the first time they had been to this year’s celebration. And after a few bites of a juicy bratwurst inside the floriculture exhibit, the mother of two said she wished she had come earlier.

“I’ve already been here a couple of hours and I haven’t seen a tenth of what I want to,” she said. “I think that if you’re into this sort of thing you’ve got to at least spend a couple of days here.”

Others like 9-year-old Ryan Searcy of Somis, a member of the Somis 4-H and proud former owner of a pig named Tootsie, had mixed feelings on the fair’s final day.

“I’m kind of happy and kind of sad,” he said, as he teetered on the wooden fence of the pen. “I’ve been here for awhile, so it’ll be nice to go home, but I’m going to miss her. She was a pretty good pig.”

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Ryan and Tootsie, who earned her moniker after she displayed a curious interest in the toes of others, have been at the fair for the past week for the junior livestock competition and auction.

For his five months of diligent work, Ryan received a second-place ribbon and a hefty $5-per-pound price for his porcine pal.

Elsewhere, last-minute fair-goers raced from ride to thrilling ride, hoping to squeeze in adrenaline-soaked rushes before it all shut down.

“What do you think, should we get something to eat or head to the rides,” Simone Luddy asked boyfriend William Keech of Agoura Hills moments after they passed through the turnstiles.

“Rides,” said Keech, as he pointed toward the busy midway. “We’ve got to get to the rides.”

And according to organizers, it was the more than 40 rides, top-bill concerts with the likes of Trisha Yearwood and “Weird Al” Yankovic and perfect summer weather that made this year’s county get-together one to remember.

As of Saturday night, 244,535 people--equivalent to almost one-third of the county’s population--came and enjoyed the fair, more than a 5% increase over last year, Raley said.

“It’s been one honey of a fair,” she said almost ruefully. “It’s run like a fine watch.”

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To bring the fair to a climatic, loud and fiery end, pyrotechnicians spangled the starry sky with dazzling volleys of ruby-red, blue and white fireworks.

Unlike the past 11 shows, Sunday night’s went extra long and included a finale packed with enough explosive power to level a building.

Afterward, as the crowds slowly made their way out of the park, teams of choreographed carnies, who have worked nonstop since the fair began 12 days ago, began to disassemble the massive steel structures.

“In 48 hours you won’t even know we were here,” said a carny named Vinny. “It’ll all be gone.”