Fair cancels extra week of horse racing

The Sonoma County Fair is abandoning its experiment with a third week of horse racing as part of a recovery plan aimed at digging itself out of a financial hole created by three consecutive years of losses.

Fair administrators said the county fairgrounds, where most revenues are racked up during the summertime festival, estimate they expect to lose about $378,000 this year, a loss coming on top of about $296,000 in 2007 and $54,000 the previous year.

Tawny Tesconi, newly appointed fair manager, said she would present to Sonoma County supervisors a detailed financial recovery plan designed to return the county fair to profitability in 2011.

Tesconi said in addition to returning horse racing to a 2-week schedule, the fair will rely on more revenues from alcohol concessions and use of the golf course. She said that consumer shows such as boat and recreational vehicle shows will be adversely affected by the economic downturn and high fuel prices, so they cannot be counted on to boost revenues.