LAKEPORT, Calif. – Officials at the Lake County Fairgrounds announced that the building rental calendar for 2011 and 2012 is rapidly filling, and encouraged would-be event promoters to contact them soon to reserve dates for all types of events.

 

"It's been really gratifying to see the level of community support since the State's budget issues became widely known," said fair CEO Richard Persons.

He added, "People have been calling to check on their rental dates and on spaces for the Lake County Fair, to the point that the calendar is getting crowded."

When not in use for the annual Lake County Fair, the buildings and grounds are available to rent for a wide variety of gatherings. Lake County Fairgrounds has five event halls varying in capacity from 40 people to 1,400 people.

All five buildings offer air conditioning in the summer. Three of the buildings have commercial kitchens, which were upgraded in 2009 with new stoves and refrigerators.

In addition, there are a number of park-like outdoor areas, one 25,000 square foot pavilion used for used for a variety of events including equestrian and other animal activities. In addition to auto races, the racetrack grandstand is also used for rodeos, monster truck shows, and occasional concerts.

The facility can supply tables, chairs, stages, and various other equipment for events. Facilities at the fairgrounds are rented by the day, with fees starting as low as $240 for a day in a building with a commercial kitchen.

 

 

Lake County's largest indoor event facility, the Phil Lewis Hall, is a prominent feature of the fairgrounds. Named for the first fairgrounds manager, the free-span building is ten thousand square feet in size and can hold events with up to 1,400 people.

Spring events in the building include several quinceneras, a Lakeport Enhanced Education Foundation dinner, a day long carnival in support of the local Boy Scouts, and a pasta feed put on by Congressman Mike Thompson.

The fairgrounds hosts local activities nearly every single day of the year, often with several events in a single day. Ninety six percent of the activities are produced by Lake County individuals or organizations. Persons said 64 percent are produced by non-profit organizations, mostly for fundraising.

 

Spaces are available at the Lake County Fair for many types of vendors and business displays.

Applications for fairtime spaces can be found on the fair's Web site at www.lakecountyfair.com.

Space rental fees range in price from $150 to $475 for a 10 foot wide by 10 foot deep space.

"Fairtime space is all about foot traffic, with the highest priced spaces getting the highest foot traffic," said Persons.

During the county fair event, more than 85 percent of the commercial spaces are filled by organizations from Lake and Mendocino counties. More than 90 percent of the thousands of competitive exhibits that fill the buildings and barns during the Lake County Fair come from Lake County residents.

 

 

The Lake County Fair traditionally occurs Labor Day weekend each year at the fairgrounds in Lakeport.

The 2011 fair dates are Thursday, Sept. 1, through Sunday, Sept. 4, with a theme of "Make Some Magic!" Lake County Fair is one of Lake County's favorite summertime events, and is enjoyed by nearly 40,000 people each year.

The fair features a variety of entertainment, food, exhibits, a carnival, and livestock shows. "Let's face it," said Persons, "there's no other place in Lake County where business managers can get direct, face-to-face exposure to forty thousand people in four days."