Officials Estimate Nearly 90,000 People Visited the Dixon May Fair

By Brianna Boyd
Special to Dixon Patch

Close to 90,000 people from throughout northern California and beyond visited the Dixon May Fair last week.

It’s the highest attendance the fair has ever had, and is also about 20 percent higher than the 78,000 reported visitors last year.

May Fair CEO Jack Murphy believes the extra day added to the 136th annual fair helped boost the attendance, but was far from the only reason for the significant jump.

“The weather was great and we had a good concert line-up and demolition derby and our Sunday Hispanic line-up was just excellent,” Murphy said. “With adding the day and the great weather, people stayed much longer and enjoyed the fair even more. Many of them came back a second or third time to visit the fair.

“Everyone seemed to feel like they had ownership in Dixon May Fair,” he added. “Being the oldest running fair in California and still being able to maintain that local type of ownership with the patrons who come here, I think that is just one reason why we are so special.”

After extensive conversations and considerations, the Dixon May Fair’s board of directors approved the addition of the fifth day to what was traditionally a four-day fair last fall. The fair ran from May 4 to May 8, and all components of the event, from the carnival and rides to the exhibits and livestock, opened a day early.

Murphy said the fifth day is here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future. The response was overwhelmingly positive, and the youth in the livestock area in particular were excited because their shows were more spread out, allowing them more time to enjoy the fair and not be so rushed.

“We figure we are basically up and running anyways so we might as well open the door and get things started,” Murphy said. “I heard no complaints about it. It seemed to be well-received, and I was very happy with the opening attendance.”

The children and youth from throughout Solano County showcasing animals in the livestock area were very successful this year.  Murphy reported that even though there were 80 less animals, the gross sale, at $354,000, was only a couple thousand dollars less than what was seen last year.

There were 315 animals that went through the Junior Livestock Auction. Of those animals, beef averaged $4.25 a pound, swine averaged $9.58 a pound, and goats averaged $6.84 a pound. Chickens and rabbits sold, on average, for $231 and $210 each. Quail was also successful, selling for an average of $325 each. Turkeys returned to the May Fair’s auction for the first time in a number of years, and sold for an average of $306 a bird.

Across the fairgrounds, people who entered competitive exhibits also saw success. There were 4,490 entries altogether, Murphy said, and about $19,000 in prize money was awarded.

The May Fair’s Demolition Derby, a Mother’s Day tradition for many families, brought 2,650 people into the arena.

The concert line-up, which Murphy described as one of the best the fair has ever had, brought in visitors from throughout the region. The May Fair arena can seat between 6,000 and 7,000 people for concerts and additionally seating was arranged for two of the four concerts.

About 2,800 people came to the opening night concert featuring blues artists Jonny Lang and Robben Ford. That number jumped to 3,900 for the rock and roll concert the next night with John Kay and Steppenwolf and Eric Burdon and the Animals. About 7,000 filled the arena for the Friday concert featuring country superstar Trace Adkins and special guest Merle Haggard. That number went even higher, to 7,100, for the Saturday concert starring Selena Gomez and her band, The Scene.

“There have probably only been a couple of shows here that have ever had that type of attendance,” Murphy said of the Adkins and Gomez concerts. “They were very, very successful for us. The crowd was just energized, both nights.”

For more information on the Dixon May Fair, visit www.dixonmayfair.com.