County fair ends on a high note

The 2002 Orange County Fair attracted families from throughout the

county looking to enjoy yet another pig race, funnel cake or ride on

the Zipper.

But just as the fair began 17 days ago, it also must end. And so

it did.

The fair, which served as the birthplace of 11 piglets, one llama

and seven goats, came to an end on Sunday pulling out an overall

increase in fair attendance despite lower afternoon numbers for its

entire run.

“We have a reputation for being a late fair,” said Becky

Bailey-Findley, chief executive of the fair. “Our fair will be very

strong to midnight, one o’clock in the morning.”

Fair officials credit the increased attendance number, in part, to

an increase in entertainment acts.

By introducing reserved seating during the 2001 fair, officials

increase the number of people looking to attend the concerts but felt

that such seating was not enough. Officials then decided to search

for higher quality talent, said Steve Beazley, deputy general manager

of the fair.

“We decided we wanted to up the entertainment for this year’s

fair,” he said. “We wanted to get higher talent acts with higher

catalogs of hits and wider appeal.”

And that’s just what they did.

Out of the 17 concert performances, 13 of the shows were at full

capacity. And while fair officials hoped to achieve their goal of

increasing the number of people attending the various concert

performances, which Beazley believes they actually exceeded, it also

led to concern about how to accommodate even more people.

“With an increase in population with entertainment we need to make

sure we have the facilities to support the activity,” Bailey-Findley

said. “We wish to improve in that regard.”

While the number of concert-goers increased, the number of

troublemakers at the fair went down, officials reported. There were

fewer crimes or disruptive behavior reported than in the past.

There were only a few reports of fair-goers who had a little too

much to drink and fewer lost family members and friends, according to

the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. It was a relatively quiet

year.

“We had enough security people on the premises that are visible,

which helps,” said Bill Bechtel, daytime watch commander for the

department of public safety. “Activity wise, [the fair’s] been slow.”

And with an increase in attendance and a decreased number of

security and safety concerns, people were able to simply enjoy the

fair -- the primary goal of fair officials.

“If we can provide a positive and enjoyable experience for a

diverse group of people that makes us very happy,” Bailey-Findley

said.

With fair officials happy, fair-goers having a good time and

vendors, like Bali-Hi and Funnel Cake co-owners Carole Sinason and

Michael Davis doing the same amount of business as prior years -- the

2002 fair ended on a high note.

“It’s always sad to see the fair end but if it didn’t end we have

anything to look forward to next year,” Bailey-Findley said.

* CHRISTINE CARRILLO is the news assistant. She may be reached at

(949) 574-4298 or by e-mail at christine.carrillo@latimes.com.