Fair revenues best old high marks

It was a July of big numbers at the Orange County Fair.

For the first time ever, fair attendance topped the 1-million

mark, reaching 1,058,192 by the end of Sunday, the final day of the

21-day event. And a record number of guests meant a lot of money

changed hands at this year’s fair. Organizers reported a 25% increase

in admission revenue, raking in $4.5 million this year, compared with

$3.6 million in 2004.

Parking revenue went up 6.5% to almost $1.4 million.

Last year, fair revenues amounted to a small operating loss, fair

chief executive Becky Bailey-Findley said. This time around, she

expects the accounting will show the fair ended up in the black.

“We’re anticipating that we’ll break even plus,” she said.

Carnival ride contractor Ray Cammack Shows also enjoyed a

record-breaking year, with carnival revenue reaching $5.2 million.

“It’s the first time the company has grossed that much money in

the 40-year history of it,” said Tony Fiori, marketing director for

the Laveen, Ariz.-based ride company.

The four most popular carnival rides this year were La Grande

Ferris wheel, Hydroslide, Euroslide and Hi Miler roller coaster,

Fiori said.

Another large figure from this year’s fair was the tally of food

sales. Bailey-Findley said combined food and alcohol sales were in

the neighborhood of $11.2 million. In keeping with the fair’s year of

the avocado theme, fairgoers found room in their stomachs for about

14,000 deep-fried, stuffed avocadoes.

“I participated heavily in that one,” Bailey-Findley said.

Next year, the fair will switch its focus from avocados to

gardening, Bailey-Findley said. How that theme translates into

something edible remains to be seen.

Bailey-Findley said it’s not impossible to cook a flower, having

tried a botanical delicacy in Italy.

“I had deep-fried acacia flowers and that was wonderful,” she

said. “Whether they’re going to be able to reproduce that, I’m not

sure.”

Bailey-Findley also said she was proud of two other numbers.

Fairgoers donated about 20.5 tons of food for Second Harvest Food

Bank of Orange County and contributed 35,790 books to benefit the Los

Angeles Times Reading by 9 program.

“They’re important numbers,” she said. “That’s what I guess I

would call the community, through the fair, giving back to the

community.”