Merced County Fair attendance up 14% over last year
New attractions, pricing discounts, and popular musical stars helped boost attendance at the Merced County Fair, which concluded its five-day run this past weekend, organizers said.
The fair, which celebrated its 125th year, marked the milestone with a birthday theme. According to unaudited figures, the 2016 fair drew 74,541 people, an increase of 14 percent from last year’s official attendance of 65,428, according to a statement released Tuesday. Overall paid attendance was up 16.55 percent.
Fair CEO Teresa Burrola said she couldn’t have asked for better results.
“We tried some new things this year in marketing the fair, including updating our website to be more user-friendly. Additionally, we added some small personal touches throughout the fairgrounds to create an even better experience for fairgoers,” Burrola said in a statement.
Upon entering the fairgrounds on Martin Luther King Jr. Way, fairgoers were greeted with a tree-lined walkway lit up in colored twinkle lights and planters running down the center. In keeping with the birthday theme, birthday balloons and imagery could be seen throughout the fairgrounds.
“We also altered the lineup of shows in the Grandstand and focused on bringing in even bigger entertainment for the Outdoor Theatre with acts Lonestar and Banda Machos. It all appears to have paid off well for us – that combined with the incredible weather we enjoyed and the continued support from our community, of course,” she said.
Making the fair affordable was a big focus for organizers, according to a statement. Presale discounts were offered at local retailers for $2 off adult admission and $5 off unlimited carnival ride wristbands. Additionally, $10 off season passes were available online and at the fair administration office.
The fair also reduced the admission price for children from $5 to $4, in an effort to bring in more families. The fair organized a community food drive, presented by EECU and created in partnership with the Merced County Food Bank, which offered free admission during select hours to individuals who brought five or more cans of food to donate. A total of 4,800 pounds of canned food were collected – quadruple the amount collected in 2015, which was 1,112 pounds when the food drive was held in the Grandstand.
Fairgoers enjoyed free live music. The lineup included Jimmy Needham, the Eagles tribute band The Long Run, Tower of Power, Lonestar and Banda Machos.
As always, livestock was a big draw, with a variety of shows taking place over the course of five days. The Rabbit Auction on June 9 in the new Hilmar Cheese Barn saw the sale of 110 rabbits generating $26,154 in sales. That same day, the Dairy Replacement Heifer Sale generated $175,400 from 53 heifers sold. On June 11, the Junior Livestock Auction generated $562,305.50 in sales by 4-H, FFA and independent exhibitors. The average bid per pound was $5.49 and 609 goats, pigs, lambs and beef were sold.
The Merced County Fair recognized top buyers from 2015 who received the following awards at this year’s fair: Buyer of the Year, Fat Stock Sale – Chris Shannon, Shannon Pump; Buyer of the Year, Dairy Heifer Replacement Sale – Vanderwoude Dairy; Buyer of the Year, Small Animal Sale – Doug and Sharon Gallaway; and Outstanding Service Award Winner – Ezio Sansoni.
“I want to say thank you to our community for continually supporting the Merced County Fair, as well as thank our many exhibitors, concessionaires, carnival provider, volunteers and staff who all contributed to creating the best fair experience possible,” Burrola said. “ I look forward to welcoming you all back next year when we all come together again.”
This story was originally published June 15, 2016 at 5:48 PM with the headline "Merced County Fair attendance up 14% over last year."