Weather, Acts Credited for Record Fair Attendance

The 2001 Ventura County Fair set a record for attendance, organizers said as they began to look ahead to 2002.

During the event’s 12-day run at Seaside Park in Ventura, 277,013 visited, the most since the fair was moved from October to August in 1987. It had been a five-day event before the change.

“We were blessed with a lot of good acts and good weather,” said fair spokeswoman Teri Raley.

Such performers as Wynonna, Styx, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Los Tucanes de Tijuana played at this year’s event, which enjoyed generally sunny and mild weather throughout its run.

The fair also set a one-day August record for attendance when 35,456 people visited the grounds Aug. 5.

Because of parking and other space constraints, organizers do not aim for dramatic attendance increases every year, but rather hope to draw about 250,000 annually, Raley said.

The Ventura Police Department reported no major incidents this year. A few people were arrested on suspicion of intoxication, violating their probation or on outstanding warrants, said Lt. Doug Auldridge.

Ventura police had assistance from Oxnard police, county sheriff’s deputies on horseback, county probation officers and state parole officers, he said.

Aside from an unrelated California Highway Patrol pursuit that closed the Ventura Freeway on Aug. 9, delaying some people headed for the fair, everything went smoothly, said fair spokesman Devlin Raley. And with 20,000 to 30,000 people visiting each day, that’s no small accomplishment, he said.

“Seaside Park, during fair time, really becomes its own small city,” he said.

Next week, fair officials will meet to discuss whether the 2001 fair met its goals and to start planning for 2002, he said.

“There’s so many different variables involved,” he said. But in the end, he said, it all boils down to one question: “Did people have fun?”