The Ventura County Fair’s Board of Directors, management, and staff are proud to report that the 2022 Fair was a success. Celebrating the finest from throughout Ventura County, the 147th year picked up where it left off three years ago when the pandemic hit. “Bringing the County’s only legacy event back and ensuring that it will continue to serve the community for generations to come was the goal of our staff as we endured three years of difficult uncertainty,” said CEO Barbara Quaid, “dedicated staff stepped to the plate creatively and with passion to keep the doors open and make sure the Fair gates opened this year.” Visitors came from near and far to enjoy “A Country Fair with Ocean Air” during the 12-day run, August 3 through August 14.
The Ventura County Fair’s mission is to preserve, promote, and showcase agriculture and the traditions of Ventura County, this was accomplished with competitive livestock and horse shows, agricultural exhibits and baking contests. The Junior Livestock Auction, held on Friday, August 12 was the culmination of yearlong livestock production projects for Ventura County Youth. Proceeds from the Auction are used to further their educations and the agriculture industry in Ventura County. At this year’s auction 291 lots were sold for a total of $1,500,000.
Total Attendance for 2022 was strong at 270, 486; a difference of -10.67% from 2019’s attendance of 302,783.
“For us the focus is never about the numbers of people coming into the gates, but about the quality of the experience our guests have and about the number of smiles we see as Fair visitors head home,” said CEO Barbara Quaid, adding “We are grateful to have finally been able to bring the Fair back to our deserving community. We are committed to offering a clean, safe and fun experience that will create cherished memories that will last forever.”
Besides being a fun time, the Fair benefits the community in many ways. This year at our “Feed the Need” food drive for Food Share, we collected a total of 2,810 pounds of food and some cash donations, which will be used to purchase meals. Through these donations they will be able to provide a total of 2,401 (1.2lbs = 1 meal / $1 = 3 meals) meals to those experiencing food insecurity in Ventura County.
As is the case every year, overall success would not be possible without the tremendous support of the sponsors and the community. While the gates have closed on the 2022 Ventura County Fair, planning is already underway for the 2023 Fair.
