LA County Fair: By the (Impressive) Numbers

The Pomona party has closed for another year; now marvel at what people noshed, donated, did.

Guessing games and county fairs go together like powdered sugar and hot funnel cake, but there is one guess-fun competition that's fairly rare on a county fair's slate: the after-the-fact numbers.

For example, if you had to estimate how many people attended the 2016 LA County Fair, knowing that it ran from Sept. 2 through 25, and knowing that it was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays (save Labor Day), would you land on the right number?

If you said in the neighborhood of 1,300,000 visitors, you'd be correct. And you'd also be correct to think that the Pomona extravaganza, which'll celebrate its first 100 years in 2022, just released several big numbers from its annual hoedown, as it traditionally does on the day after the fair's final adieu.

While the number of visitors to the LA County Fair is of the huge-huge-huge variety, there are other mind-bogglers in the mix, from the 40,000 balls of deep-fried bacon guacamole sold at Chicken Charlie's to 100,000 turkey legs that moved at The Midway Gourmet.

Other foodstuffs that ventured into jaw-dropping territory, in terms of numbers sold, include Krispy Kreme triple-decker burgers (7,000 sold at Chicken Charlie's) to four pallets of Oreos that crossed the counter at The Midway Gourmet.

It isn't all about those famous deep-fried treats, though. Look to the 142,146 cans of non-perishable foods donated by guests, as well as the 57,637 school supply items that made the donation bins.

One reason given for the fair's banner year? The exceptional weather seen throughout most of the month, with very few "it's too darn hot" days in the run.

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As for the multiple blood drives during the event, a giveback staple? Gratitude goes out to the guests who lined up and gave over 4,000 pints of blood.

And if you're wondering if you did it all at the fair, well, here's an easy way to figure that out: There were over 500 animals to coo over at The Farm, with another 200+ critters found throughout the property (including the ever-beloved Stanley the Giraffe). 

Over 600 shopping booths also could be found at the Pomona spread.

Perhaps you did do it all, from the turkey leg noshing to the pig petting to the stuffed animal purchasing, but perhaps there are gaps you'll need to close next year, in terms of your full-scope fair experience.

Best start planning now, as the LA County Fair opens in just over 11 months on, Sept. 1, 2017.

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