Fair-Goers Display Their Patriotism

With flags and moments of silence, there is both a patriotic and slightly depressed mood at this year’s Los Angeles County Fair. Vendors say attendance and business have been down since the Sept. 11 terror attacks, when the fair--like many public events across the country--closed for the day.

Fair administrators would not divulge comparative daily attendance figures Monday, but the vice president for marketing, Dale Coleman, acknowledged that last week, when the fair reopened, “it was slower.”

On the other hand, with few other professional sports available over the weekend, the fair set a single-day record of $9.5 million in horse-racing bets taken on Saturday.

Fair-Goers Give to Red Cross

To spur attendance, which was 1.3 million last year, the fair offered free admissions Friday with a minimum $1 donation to Red Cross terror relief.

Contributions totaled $250,000, said spokeswoman Wendy Talarico. One unidentified man gave $2,500, and a teenager gave $100 in change.

The fair also allowed Los Angeles County firefighters to collect money for families of New York City firefighters who died in the attacks, raising $65,000.

On Monday, patriotic symbols were everywhere. Many pieces of fair equipment and thousands of employees are wearing American flags.

Remembrance T-Shirts Selling

At one souvenir stand, vendor Rick Klever said he was doing a brisk business selling T-shirts with the flag that carried the inscription, “United We Stand--We Will Never Forget Sept. 11, 2001.”

Many fair-goers said they were unwilling to attend during the first few days after the attacks.

“We put it off a long time, but now we’re here,” said Floyd Strobehn of Glendora, accompanied by his wife, Patricia. “I think the president convinced us not to be worried, that he has everything under control.”

Angelica Gurrola, stroking her 1-year-old daughter, Cassandra, in her carriage, said, “I really didn’t want to come, but my husband, Macario, convinced me to. He said it would be more secure than normal.”

“I feel very safe here,” said education exhibit worker “Q” Pearce, as she ate a sandwich. “I don’t think this is something that would be targeted.”

The fair runs through Sunday.