The "Fab Fair" was a fabulous success, as 1,457,130 people attended this year's San Diego County Fair.
Other numbers:
-- Number of babies entered in the Baby Derby Contests: 26
-- Number of National Anthem singers at Opening Ceremonies: 28
-- Number of participants in the San Diego's Best Dance Crew competition: 337
-- Number of entertainment groups booked: 717
-- Number of hours of entertainment booked on the eight stages (not including the Grandstand Stage): 2,025
-- Number of Dance and Variety group participants: 13,524
-- Number of Band members that performed: 1,736
-- Number of participants clicked through the Special Events gate: 22,673
-- Number of photos taken with the costumed mascot, Webster: 1,333
-- 5,360 took on the Super Bungee, with about 100 getting cold feet. The youngest jumper this year at the Fair was 6 years old, while the oldest was 79 years of age
-- Total aerial shells from the 20-minute Fourth of July fireworks show (from Lakeside-based Fireworks America): 1,007
Tim Fennell, CEO and general manager of the Del Mar Fairgrounds, said, "We want to thank everyone in San Diego County and beyond for coming to the 2014 San Diego County Fair to enjoy the music of the 1960s and the influence the Beatles and their contemporaries had and still have within the music industry. We were proud to present a venue that provided a great value for our guests. The Fair is really about the people who work together as a team to present this event year after year. Thanks again to those who were able to join us for another record-breaking year for the San Diego County Fair, as we could not have done it without you."
With a theme this year of the "Fab Fair," the 24-day event paid homage to the 50th anniversary of the Beatles arrival in the U.S. as part of the so-called "British Invasion" in pop music.
Some noteworthy statistics to chew on (info from Del Mar Fairgrounds officials):
-- Bacon-A-Fair used 15,000 pounds of bacon, and 150 bottles of Jack Daniels for Churros
-- Chicken Charlie sold more than 20,000 Krispy Kreme Triple-Decker Cheeseburgers made with 60,000 hamburgers and 40,000 donuts
-- Biggie's Meat Market cooked up 8,000 pounds of ground beef and 18,000 pounds of potatoes. They served 14,000 pounds "Big Ribs" (a two-pound beef rib) and "Big Chic on a Stick" (a 22- pound giant garlic herb marinated chicken breast) along with Biggy Burgers
-- Number of pies consumed at the daily Pie Eating Contest: 171
-- Number of pieces of pie consumed at the Pie Eating Contest: 1,035
The top 10 rides from this year's fair:
-- Crazy Mouse
-- Grand Wheel
-- Sky Ride
-- Magnum
-- G-Force
-- Fast Trax
-- Olympic Bob Sled
-- Sky Flyer
-- Alien Abduction
-- Carousel
More than 1,773 tons of waste material was recycled, used for alternative daily cover, turned into bio-fuel or sent to be composted, according to fair officials.
The San Diego County Fair is the largest annual event in the county and is among the top 10 fairs in the U.S. and Canada.
