RETURNING TO A SETTING THAT'S FAMILIAR AV FAIR PLOTS 2003 EVENT.

Byline: Charles F. Bostwick Staff Writer

LANCASTER - Antelope Valley Fair's 2003 theme might as well be ``play it again, Sam.''

After calling the 2002 fair the last at the 64-year-old downtown fairgrounds, fair officials said they reconsidered their moving schedule and will instead use the old fairgrounds again next August.

The first buildings at the new fairgrounds on Avenue H beside the Antelope Valley Freeway had been expected to be done this fall, but officials say it now looks more like January or February. A parking lot, livestock barns and other facilities still must be built.

``Could we make it? Yes, that's still a possibility,'' fair general manager Dan Jacobs said Monday. ``But if you find out in June or July it's going to be close, you're opening yourself up to a lot of potential problems.''

He added: ``The way we look at it is, aside from the disappointment, there really are no negatives (to delaying the move). We know there will be some criticism. I'd rather people be mad at me for not moving than mad at me because we screwed up out there.''

The new fairgrounds will open in phases, which is how fair officials had originally expected to do it when they conceived the plan for larger grounds five years ago, Jacobs said.

The Watch and Wager building for off-track betting will open in April, Jacobs said. The exhibit halls will open for rentals next October, and then the grounds will open for rentals in January 2004.

The first fair will be in August 2004.

The delay gives more time for the organizations that stage events at the fairgrounds to plan their operations in the new layout, Jacob said. With the new grounds under construction, participants can't see what they will look like, other than on paper.

``The buildings are almost done,'' Jacobs said. ``That's definitely not a holdup. This isn't really a construction problem. We feel more comfortable going in phases. It gives us nine more months.''

Originally bid at more than $10.1 million, the contract for building two exhibit halls, the Watch and Wager building, a 7,000-seat grandstand, an entry office and a recreational vehicle park restroom has bumped up to nearly $10.4 million.

The cost increase was a result of a number of small changes to the plans during construction, said Neil Hudson, acting public works director for the city of Lancaster.

``It's a whole lot of little things,'' Hudson said. ``We lost a little time with some of the change orders.''

The city is expected to award a contract in December for the parking lot, grading around the buildings and other work. State officials are expected to award a contract for building a show arena and two livestock barns in January, after the cost of the other work is known.

The fair has $2 million earmarked for the livestock buildings, but is holding off spending it in case of cost overruns, Jacobs said.

Delaying the move for another year will give fair officials more time to obtain grants or other funds for more facilities, he said. It also will give more time for lawns to establish themselves before they are trampled by hundreds of thousands of fairgoers.

``If we put in grass for March or April, we probably would have to go in there and replace everything after the fair,'' Jacobs said.

The delay also means soliciting new entries for the annual fair theme contest. Fair officials had asked for theme suggestions noting the move into the new grounds, but now want themes that reflect, in fair spokeswoman Pam Holland's phrase, ``being able to 'play it again, Sam.'''

The new theme contest deadline is Dec. 13. Theme suggestions must use six words or fewer.

Entries should be mailed or dropped off at the administration building, to the attention of Pam Holland, Antelope Valley Fairgrounds, 155 E. Ave. I, Lancaster, CA 93535. Submissions also may be faxed to [phone] or e-mailed to pholland(at)avfair.com.

Fair directors will choose the winning entry at the Dec. 19 board meeting.