DEL MAR — After vowing the 2010 San Diego County Fair will be better than this year’s event — which set an all-time
attendance record with 1,274,442 visitors — the 22nd District Agricultural Association board of directors unanimously approved next year’s dates at the Aug. 11 meeting.
The 2010 fair will be held June 11 through July 5 for a total of 22 days. “It’s the perfect calendar for us,” Vice President Barry Nussbaum said. The fair will be closed the first three Mondays, but open for the federal holiday Monday, July 5.
This year more than 10,000 visitors took advantage of a new promotion that offered admission for all 22 days for $22. Fair officials are considering repeating that offer or introducing another promotion that would provide an even greater value next year, Linda Zweig, a media representative, said.
In response to criticism that the fair is becoming increasingly less agricultural, board member Kim Fletcher said the event still has “pumpkins, ponies and veggies.”
Tim Fennell, general manager and chief executive officer, said the goal of having different themes, such as this year’s Music Mania, is to attract as many people as possible to the event and then expose them to the agricultural side of the fair. He said themes such as tomatoes, which other fairs use, are not exciting to a teenager.
“Our job is to get people here,” he said.
“In the worst economy ever, we broke records,” Nussbaum said. “I’m so proud of what our staff did. There are no words for it. It was a wonderful, wonderful summer.”
The 2010 theme is expected to be announced in early fall.
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