2014 Alameda County Fair Wraps Up and Raises the Bar

PLEASANTON, Calif., July 7, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As with all good things, the Fair, too, must come to an end. Following an action-packed 17-day run, the 102^nd Alameda County Fair befittingly went out with a bang Sunday night.

As expected, Night Ranger drew huge crowds and rocked the Safeway Amphitheater one last time as the final installment of the Big O Tires Concert Series. Thousands of fairgoers stayed to enjoy one last warm summer night amid the music, food and neon-lit fun, right up until closing time.

The 4^th of July Fireworks Spectacular, big name concerts & "best seats" wristbands and the inaugural season of Oak Tree horseracing, in addition to many other aesthetic and operational improvements, all contributed to the fairgoers' experience this year and resulted in increased attendance and sales throughout.

"It was an amazing Fair this year thanks to everyone that came out to celebrate the Nation's birthday over the past three weeks.  I can't wait to start planning next year's celebration as I guarantee it will be bigger and better than ever!"

Here's a look at the 2014 Alameda County Fair by the numbers:
Total Attendance:  475,762 up 22%
Total Vehicles Parked:  141,284 up 28%

HORSE RACING
Horse Racing Track Attendance - 54,532 up 10%
On-track handle up – 2%

EXHIBITS
Competitive exhibits entries – 18,181
Exhibitors – 4,868
Jr. Livestock Auction – $589,015.96 up 6%
Small animal sales – $52,297.12 up 32%
Fine Art sales – $16,616 up 17%
Contest entries – 1,221 up 124%
Community talent acts – 187

FOOD CONSUMED
Spaghetti Ice Cream (2014 SNACKDOWN champion) — 1,538
Corn Dog – 128,000
Funnel Cake – 27,748
Turkey legs – 9,723
Mac-n-Cheese Stuffed Bacon Burger – 1,401
Lobster Fries – 1,545

"FEED THE NEED" FOOD DRIVE
Pounds of food donated – 29,745
Cash donations – $3053.00
Total meals – 31,450

VOLUNTEER PROGRAM
Fair volunteers – 928 volunteers
Volunteer hours – 10,050 hours

WEBSITE & SOCIAL MEDIA
Website visits – 718,270
Page visits – 1,812,418
New visitors – 65%
Returning visitors – 35%
Facebook Fans – 70,866
Twitter Followers @ACFair – 2,691
Instagram Followers – 2,224

The Alameda County Fair thanks all who attended, cooked, sold, entertained, volunteered, worked and competed. You all make the Alameda County Fair a community tradition and success year after year. We look forward to the 2015 Alameda County Fair, June 17- July 5, 2015. 

The Fair Association
The Alameda County Fair is operated by the Fair Association, a non-profit organization, without any tax funding from the government. It is ranked one of the Top 50 North American Fairs. The Fairgrounds is home to the Oldest One-Mile Race Track in America.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140707/124925

SOURCE Alameda County Fair