LAKEPORT, Calif. – Beginning this year, there will be two fairs in Lake County.
Lake County Fair Chief Executive Officer Richard Persons said that the fairgrounds will begin hosting a Lake County Spring Fair this June.
“It's an idea that has been considered for several years, but this year everything seems to be coming together, said Persons.
The Lake County Spring Fair will take place Friday, June 14, through Sunday, June 16, at the fairgrounds in Lakeport, 401 Martin St.
That’s in addition to the 2013 Lake County Fair, which runs from Thursday, Aug. 29, through Sunday, Sept. 1.
Persons said the spring fair won’t be as large as the main fair event, but is expected to be an important new source of revenue, since the state has stopped providing funding for the Lake County Fair – and other fairs around the state – over the last few years.
He said 2011 was the last year that the state provided capital improvement funding for the fairgrounds. That year, the funding for improving the fairgrounds totaled $250,000.
The fair’s operating stipend, which fluctuated from year to year, was $172,000 in 2011, the final year the fair received those funds from the state, according to Persons.
Since then, the fair has had to pursue new revenue sources in order to maintain operations, he said.
Helping the Lake County Fair’s financial picture in 2012 was the fact that the fairgrounds served as a Cal Fire base camp for the August Wye Fire and the September Scotts Fire, both of which brought in unanticipated revenue, according to Persons.
Persons also was hired to manage the Dixon May Fair last year.
Those sources of revenue, plus careful management and cutbacks, allowed the fair not just to keep running but to pay off a nearly $120,000 loan for its solar collection systems in February, five years early, as Lake County News has reported.
Persons said the new spring fair’s major attractions will include three nights of grandstand activities and a carnival produced by Midway of Fun, which also provides the carnival for the Lake County Fair on Labor Day weekend.
Additional activities will include two stages of entertainment and three buildings of various exhibits, including a home and garden pavilion produced by Bicoastal Media, he said.
Persons said one of the main factors in deciding to go ahead with the event was the ability to attract a carnival.
In past years, no carnival operators had spring weekends available in their routes, but that was not the case in 2013, he explained.
Grandstand events are expected to include an open mud bog competition on Friday night, open tuff truck races on Saturday, and an invitational auto race on Sunday, Persons said. All grandstand activities will be produced by Lakeport Speedway.
In addition to the home and garden pavilion, other buildings will house a laser tag arcade and a variety of vocational education exhibits, Persons said. An exhibition of student artwork from Congressman Mike Thompson's annual art contest may also be on display.
Persons said a battle of the bands is planned for the main stage, with local musical artists featured on two stages throughout the weekend, and a variety of fair food and exhibits are expected.
The fair also is working on several aspects of a car show activity. “We know it's Father's Day weekend, and we're trying to put together an event which will appeal to dads and their families, providing activities that dad's can do with their kids. School will just be out, and it seems like a great way to kick off the summer,” Persons said.
Businesses interested in indoor exhibit space should contact Bicoastal Media at 707-263-6113 to inquire about space in the home and garden pavilion. Other food and exhibit space will be handled by the Lake County Fair.
For more information, contact the Lake County Fair at 707-263-6181 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.