Colfax World Fair—How Did It Fare?

Although final figures aren't in, this year’s Colfax World Fair, which drew a crowd of about 7,000, was deemed an unequivocal success.

The major annual fundraiser for Colfax Charter Elementary School, held this year on June 4, has also become a tremendous community event for Valley Village.

The big turnout for the old-time fair required some 100 volunteers working throughout the seven-hour event, and hundreds of volunteer hours spent on the two-day setup and one-day cleanup. Besides Colfax families and friends, volunteers included members of the Toluca Lake Lions Club, the Neighborhood Council Valley Village, the Valley Village Homeowners Association and a large number of middle and high school volunteers—in particular a huge representation from the Colfax alumni who currently attend Walter Reed Middle School. All volunteers who request documentation receive a personalized letter recognizing their community service.

The fair ultimately grossed over $140,000, and although there won’t be an accurate tally of final expenses for a couple of more weeks, fair production coordinator Carol Convey said that “expenses were down significantly and ticket sales were up over $13,000.” She added that the total was definitely “up from last year’s huge, record-breaking year.”

There was a enormous effort to emphasize the "green" aspect that is part of Colfax’s charter. Blue recycling containers were abundantly provided throughout the fair, and supplies from previous years were repainted and reused. Support products and all food court serving supplies were made from recycled products. An entire section of the fair was green—from the seedlings that guests could plant themselves to the Fresh-Pressed T-shirt silk-screening booth, in which products were all derived from organically grown products.

Families ran all the barbecue booths, which offered hot dogs and hamburgers, Hawaiian barbecue, tacos and pupusas, and arguably the most delicious chicken sandwich ever made. Ideal weather helped keep business steady throughout the day, and the fair's Morella Water Park was hopping for the full seven hours, particularly at the Goliath Water Slide and the Human Hamster Bowling ride. On the campus, the enormous Slideasaurus was the most popular attraction of the day, wowing children, teens and adults.

The fair committees met a couple of weeks after the event for a wrap-up meeting and potluck to discuss what went right, and what can be improved for next year’s fair. Plans are already in the works for the 2012 Colfax World Fair, scheduled for June 2.