Ventura County Fair embraces cowboy aesthetic

VENTURA, Calif.— Exhilarating rides, fast cars, and even faster horses was the name of the game at the Ventura County Fair.

The rodeo sold out, drawing hundreds of visitors.

It featured a variety of acts with some more dangerous than others.

Spirits were high, but only one audience member walked away with a rodeo prize.

“I’m fan of the night. I’m so excited because I never win anything.” said Leslie Mendez, who drove up from Sylmar.

The cowboy theme was strong throughout the fair.

Rick De Leon says his hat making business is booming.

“We're going to do about 20% more than last year. So probably about 1,200 hats,” said De Leon.

“For them, they blew up within a year. Right? I feel like everybody would kind of agree, but they're doing amazing. And the thing is, they don’t pick and choose what kind of style they want. They let the customer pick the style and that's the best,” said Alexis Mariscal, who lives in Oxnard.

Mariscal was brimming with excitement to win a free cowgirl hat.

“ I went to his shop in Santa Paula. He let me pick out whatever I wanted. I decorated it how I wanted, but I'm very minimal, so I don't want too much going on. But it’s perfect,” said Mariscal.

The fair was packed all weekend, raking in over half a million dollars since opening almost two weeks ago.

“I’m just trying not to run into anyone walking around,” said Kassie Munsee, who lives in Simi Valley.

Attendees say the theme “Waves of Fun” perfectly encapsulated their time.