COUNTY FAIR CROWDS TOP LAST YEAR'S.

Byline: - Cecilia Chan

The 12-day Ventura County Fair closed out with a record attendance of 277,013 people, officials said Monday.

This year's attendance beat out 1999's, which held the previous record with 276,859 fairgoers. The fair ran from Aug. 1 to Sunday at the Ventura Fairgrounds in Ventura.

``I think it was partly the hot weather inland and the lovely weather here,'' fair spokeswoman Teri Raley said. ``More than anything it was the public endorsement of what we do.

``It's a clean, safe, fun, family event, and I think people are looking for that kind of thing,'' she said. ``The concerts were terrific and very well-attended. It was pretty magical this year.''

Fair entertainers Wynonna and Los Tucanes De Tijuana each attracted a crowd of 11,000, she said.

New at this year's event were bands performing Blues music, which also proved to be a crowd pleaser, Raley said.

``The artists really excelled,'' she said.

Last year's fair attendance was 247,900. Officials compare attendance figures that date back to 1989, when new turnstiles were installed.

Raley said this year's numbers could have even been higher had it not been for a car pursuit Thursday night that shut down the Ventura Freeway in both directions, preventing fairgoers from entering Seaside Park.

``It cost us some attendance,'' she said. ``Nobody could get in from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. - that had an effect but clearly not one that cost us the record.''