Orange County Fair Has Third-Best Attendance In Its History

ORANGE COUNTY, CA -- The Orange County Fair attracted nearly 1.4 million visitors this year, the third-best attendance in its history, according to OCF data.

The fair welcomed 1.39 million guests this summer, just under last year's record-breaking 1.47 million. In 2011, the fair drew 1.40 million guests, the second-best attendance.

``We are extremely happy with the numbers for this year's OC Fair,'' fair spokeswoman Terry Moore said. ``We had fantastic weather, several new events, a great entertainment lineup and all the fair favorites that keep people coming back year after year.''

The amount of revenue it generated will be released in October.

The fair collected 87,300 in school supplies for the needy, as well as 25.69 tons of donated food, 82,984 children's books and 31,069 articles of clothes. The charity haul came as part of a program on Wednesdays that offered up free admission in exchange for a donation.

The fair's inaugural ``Love is in the Fair'' contest, which provided a free wedding during the fair at the fairgrounds, was won by Leslie Leong and Michael Nguyen, who tied the knot on Aug. 10.

The fair drew more than 1,600 entries in culinary arts competitions with $12,490 in winnings awarded. There were 5,830 garden and floral entries with $13,615 in prizes.

At the fair, 257 animals were sold in the Junior Livestock Auction, bringing in more than $279,400 for 4-H and FFA students who raised the animals for educational projects.

City News Service contributed to this report.