LA County Fair Association’s New Senior Vice President Makes New Strides

JESSE ROSALES STAFF WRITER

Lucas Rivera, the Los Angeles County Fair Association’s new senior vice president, plans to help revolutionize the LA County Fair activities that create memories and bring new experiences that will have new unforgettable moments.
Rivera comes to Fairplex from Grand Park in Downtown Los Angeles where he supervised programming since its opening in 2012. Under his supervision, Grand Park offered everything from farmers markets and film programs to concerts and what is considered to be the biggest New Year’s Eve celebration on the West Coast.
At Fairplex, Rivera is in charge of campus operations and the coordination of sales and event marketing. He must nurture the vision for Fairplex and develop a sense of place for the 487-acre facility. Rivera added to new features to the 2017 LA County Fair, including an art exhibit, the calaveras, which resembled giant Day of the Dead sugar skulls and a low rider car parade.
Rivera said he is working on a Day of the Dead program for early November. The celebration, observed mostly in the central and southern parts of Mexico, Central America and many Latino communities across the United States, is centered on gatherings of family and friends to honor the dead.
“I have not been to the fair in awhile, however, I know it has enormous cultural importance to my parents and it will be interesting to see how the new changes affect the memories they love,” senior Jesus Hernandez said.
Part of what Rivera is doing is finding opportunities to highlight the various cultures found within Los Angeles County. Because of his artistic background, he aims to do so by having a greater emphasis on art created by locals in the community. The LA County Fair occurs annually during the first few weeks of September. The changes were made this year with more coming next year. Fair Association’s new senior vice president, wants to help revolutionize the LA County Fair activities that create memories and bring new experiences that will have new unforgettable moments.
Rivera comes to Fairplex from Grand Park in Downtown Los Angeles where he supervised programming since its opening in 2012. Under his supervision, Grand Park offered everything from farmers markets and film programs to concerts and what is considered to be the biggest New Year’s Eve celebration on the West Coast. Rivera has a background in the visual and performing arts.
At Fairplex, Rivera is in charge of campus operations and the coordination of sales and event marketing. He must nurture the vision for Fairplex and develop a sense of place for the 487-acre facility. Rivera added to new additions to the 2017 LA County Fair, including an art exhibit, the calaveras, which resembled giant Day of the Dead sugar skulls and a low rider car parade.
Rivera said he is working on a Day of the Dead program for early November. The celebration, observed mostly in the central and southern parts of Mexico, Central America and many Latino communities across the United States, is centered on gatherings of family and friends to honor the dead.