Alameda County Fair says school ticket program, food drives and junior livestock auction expanded community reach

Angel Moore, chief operating officer of the Alameda County Agriculture Fair Association, presented a post‑fair recap and said the association increased its school outreach and community programs this year. "Since about 2014 we've done the Alameda County School Ticket Program," Moore said, noting the number of registered schools rose from 193 to 208 and almost 34,000 students claimed tickets with roughly 16,500 school redemptions at the gate.

Moore outlined other community efforts the fair ran this year, including a senior ticket distribution program that delivered 7,200 tickets and saw about 3,800 redeemed, a partnership with the Alameda County Community Food Bank that collected roughly 59,221 donations (pounds increased 26% year over year), and a pet food drive run with the Valley Humane Society. "Our junior livestock auction had a record year at $1,400,000 this year," Moore said, thanking purchasers and exhibitors.

Why it matters: the programs are designed to broaden access to the fair for low‑income families, seniors and youth while also generating charitable and economic impact for the county. Moore said staff will continue targeted outreach—calling districts and using social media—and expand pilots such as a first‑year sensory morning that served guests with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The presentation included marketing performance numbers (a geofencing campaign tied to a Shoreline concert produced 205,000 impressions and about 1,866 conversions) and examples of program outreach that the association said helped drive both paid sales and community participation. Board members and community partners praised the outreach and suggested additional cross‑promotion with senior events and other county programs.

Looking ahead, association staff said they will continue to refine redemptions and outreach and to report back on how to raise senior redemption rates and further extend school participation.