The Santa Barbara County Fair is celebrating some well-earned recognition after taking home several achievement awards from the Western Fairs Association (WFA) and the International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE).

“It’s an outstanding honor to receive these achievement awards and to be recognized by others in the industry,” said Santa Maria Fairpark CEO Richard Persons. “We have a great team on our side and they’ve earned this recognition with all of the hard work they contribute to capturing the essence of the Santa Barbara County Fair for our outreach efforts.”

The annual awards by the two groups recognize fairs for outstanding achievement in a variety of areas of fair management and community outreach.

At the WFA Achievement Awards, the Santa Barbara County Fair took the following honors:

» 1st Place: Any Other Ad Piece – Entertainment Stick Notes

» 1st Place: Radio Ad Series

» 2nd Place: Advertising Poster

» 2nd Place: Commemorative Poster – Entertainment

» 2nd Place: Newspaper Ad Color – Presale Ad

» 2nd Place: TV Ad Series

At the IAFE Convention, the fair earned the following recognition in the agriculture and communications categories:

» 2nd Place: Single Photo

» 2nd Place: Newspaper Ad Color – Pre-sale Ad

» 2nd Place: Promotional Poster – Entertainment Poster

The WFA is a nonprofit trade association that serves more than 800 members from the fair industry throughout the western United States and Canada. 

The IAFE is a nonprofit organization that represents more than 1,100 fairs around the world and more than 900 members from allied fields.

This year marks the 125th year of the Santa Barbara County Fair, which will take place July 13-17, 2016, at the Santa Maria Fairpark.

For more information, visit www.santamariafairpark.com or like its Facebook page.

— Shelly Cone represents the Santa Maria Fairpark.