What a fabulous Orange County summer that included the best ever Orange County Fair. This year a record number of visitors enjoyed all that the Fair had to offer including a stellar line-up of concerts at the Pacific Amphitheater, award-winning wine, food, carnival rides, shopping, celebrity chefs, and a myriad of affordable family-fun opportunities. Look for more of the same as we celebrate the 113th Orange County Fair from July 8 - 31, 2005. Next year's theme is "It's Calling You Out To Play," the year of the avocado.

Now that the Fair is over and summertime is coming to a close, kids have gone back to school and Orange County families are back into their everyday routine. So too is the case at the Orange County Fair & Exposition Center (OCFEC) as we support our year-round event business. In the 344 days outside of Fairtime the OCFEC hosts over 100 events and activities. During the 11 months of "non-Fairtime," the fairgrounds play host to everything from consumer and corporate events to charitable and non-profit events to the weekly Farmers Market and Orange County Marketplace. We also host school children and visitors to Centennial Farm and students participating in The Ranch 'agademics' programs, to name just a few of the activities we have going on. In total, the fairgrounds see an average of 4.3 million visitors annually, equating to 126% of the County's total population.

On the heels of concluding a successful Fair event this year was the release of the California Performance Review report, an exercise commissioned by Governor Schwarzenegger that brought together 275 volunteer experts in their fields to help seek out ways in which to reform and revitalize California's state government. In that report, amongst thousands of other recommendations, the Orange County fairgrounds was cited as an example of "underutilized" state property, suggesting that the property be sold for greater use. Naturally, we took offense to the statement simply because we know how much activity the property breeds each year.

Since the release of the report we held a public hearing to gain the input of our neighbors, business owners and stakeholders who use the fairgrounds regularly. The outcome of the hearings proved overwhelmingly in favor of leaving the fairgrounds as-is and to continue the good work that we do. While we embrace the process of supporting the efforts of the commission to provide a prescription for meaningful reform in support of California's health, vitality and prosperity, our Board made it clear that we are "highly utilized" property, in a resolution stating:

"The Board of Directors for the Orange County Fair & Exposition Center respectfully submit that the OCFEC is an example of highly utilized state property with an annual attendance of 4.3 million and an economic impact of $185.2 million, as measured by KPMG, and should not be considered surplus property for sale.

"Further, the Board supports reform of state government that leads to greater accountability, efficiency and responsiveness to the public."

Where does the process go from here, you ask? Well, the commission has mandated seven statewide public hearings, taking place through the end of this September, to seek their own feedback regarding the recommendations made in the report. Once that feedback has been summarized, discussions at the State level will continue as to what recommendations are to be implemented.

You can communicate your thoughts, as an interested party to the recommendations made, by sending your feedback via their official website at www.report.cpr.ca.gov or by writing to the Office of the Governor.

We will be sure to keep you updated as we receive information from the State regarding their recommendations. Thank you for helping to create a wonderful 2004 Orange County Fair.

Becky Bailey-Findley, CEO
Orange County Fair & Exposition Center