Think that the San Bernardino County Fairgrounds are busy only a week or so a year, when the fair’s up and running? Think again.

Ask Ken Alstott, chief executive officer, what goes on during the rest of the year, and get ready for a laundry list of activities that’s as varied as it is lengthy. Horse shows, livestock shows, car rallies, parties, weddings, tech­nology shows, bridal shows and related events, family gatherings, corporate functions and more keep the fair­grounds and facilities busy pretty much all the time.

“Right after the fair this year we had a paintball tournament here, and then one of our big home and garden shows was on,” Alstott says. “And we have two racetracks here, one for stock cars and one for motorcycles. They both have quite a few events here throughout the year.”

Add to that local businesses using the facilities, including the Victorville Chamber of Commerce, which holds its business expo on the site, and you begin to see just how versatile a space the fairgrounds can be.

“We have the three largest buildings in the High Desert available for rentals and so we get a lot of different activities in here,” he says. “We’re actually a state agency that’s not funded by the state, so we have to operate like a business.”

As for the fair itself, Alstott says that the grounds’ marquee event remains a crowd pleaser, so much so that the fairgrounds is beginning to look at alternative, bigger sites in the area.

“We’re going to remain in the Victorville area, but we’re looking at some areas that would give us twice the overall size, and also allow us to design for some new activities we’re looking to bring in,” Alstott says. “But we always look to please the people using the facilities, and we think we hit that mark consistently.”