Morgan Hill – Hoping to capitalize on more games for young families, the financially struggling Santa Clara County Fair opens again in two weeks.
Entertainment runs Aug. 4-6, and animal competitions kick off July 31.
It’s a scaled-down fair this year, covering less overall ground at the fairgrounds on Tully Road. Entertainment is being tailored for young families, and organizers have given up on offering big-time carnival rides and concerts for adult audiences that have dwindled since the 1980s.
Instead, hands-on attractions like archeological digs and paint ball exhibits will be emphasized, said fair manager Ray Lueckeman.
“The focus will be on youth in the community,” Lueckeman said. “A lot of things will be interactive.” Such as the Little Hands on the Farm game, he said, teaching kids how to raise agricultural crops and turn a profit by earning “fair bucks” to spend elsewhere throughout the event.
Energizing youth is a must for fair organizers who are struggling to break even on a $375,000 event that’s being drowned out by the hustle and bustle of Silicon Valley.
The event has been trimmed from 18 to 12 to three days over the past three decades, even as the region’s population has continued to soar.
“The population of the county are not traditional fair-goers, and that has had an effect on this event,” Lueckeman said. “Agriculture isn’t the focus of the county.”
With that in mind, Santa Clara County Supervisor Don Gage wants to move the fair to South County, where agriculture remains strong in communities such as Gilroy, San Martin and Morgan Hill. In August, the Board of Supervisors will vote on whether to renew construction plans for a new concert hall on the current fairgrounds, and whether building plans are renewed or not, the fair reportedly could head south in future years if only on an interim basis.
Gage could not be reached for further comment Wednesday.
Attendance at the timeworn event has plunged over the years, Lueckeman said, from 600,000 visitors over 16 days in the 1980s to 62,000 over three days in 2005. To break even, he said this year’s event will need to draw 35,000.
Albert Escobar of the Adams 4-H club in Gilroy supports the idea of bringing the fair to South County, where the work of young people in the community could be showcased on a more local stage.
