Fair Means Great! : It’s Animals and Children

Valerie Towckye attracted the biggest crowd at Friday’s opening of the Orange County Fair with a cute but self-conscious rendition of “Consider Yourself,” a classic tune of friendliness.

Somehow, the little song and dance by the freckle-faced 10-year-old was appropriate for the first day of the fair’s 10-day 14th edition. It runs through July 21.

Valerie, a member of The Colony of Performing Arts of Garden Grove, a group that entertained the crowd of 250 at the Heritage Stage at the Costa Mesa Fairgrounds, was obviously nervous, even after she got off the stage. But still she showed that pride had overcome the butterflies.

“I’ve danced before, but this is the first time I sang, too” she said, as another group of her friends went up to dance to “In the Mood,” the old Glenn Miller favorite.

‘In the Mood’

“We want to put you ‘in the mood’ to have a great day,” barked Dan Collins, the director of the children’s song and dance troupe.

And for the almost 5,000 visitors at opening day, the weather was just dandy. Sunny skies and warm temperatures were just “perfect” for opening day, said Norb Bartosik, the fair’s general manager. As of 3 p.m. 4,912 people--mostly children enjoying Kid’s Day--had gone through the turnstiles. The figure was more than twice last year’s opening day.

“This is really great. This is the most ready we’ve been for an opening day in a long time,” Bartosik said. “We couldn’t have asked for a better day.”

Although special discounts on carnival rides were extended for children Friday, the main attraction for the youngsters were the livestock barns.

“I just like looking at the lambs and the cows. I like the lambs ‘cause they go ‘baa, baa,’ ” said Kathryn Kaufman, a dimpled 5-year-old with light brown hair.

First Trip to Fair

It was the first trip to a fair for Kathryn and the 59 other youngsters from the Village Montessori School in Irvine. As their teachers grouped them outside the main gate for the ride back to their school, the kids huddled together, still beaming with excitement.

“It was so much fun. I really like the merry-go-roud,” Mara Herron said. She coyly admitted to being “four and a half, but almost five.”

Bill Carter, an instructor at the Long Beach Downtown YMCA, was one tired chaperone when his group of 57 youngsters finally headed out at midafternoon. As most of the group skipped out the gate, Carter was dragging his feet. The fact that 5-year-old Jason Johnson was riding on his shoulders didn’t help Carter, who nonetheless seemed to be enjoying the attention.

“Man, these kids have been hanging on me all day. But it was fun. They all had a good time,” Carter said.

Most of Carter’s group said they liked the rides and the cows, pigs and sheep. But Brian Feathers, a cocky 11-year-old with a mischievous grin, had his own ideas.

“You know what I liked?” he asked while shoving a friend out of his path. “The girls. That’s what I liked and there were plenty of girls to see here.”

Not all the youngsters were busily running from livestock pen to carnival ride to hot dog and lemonade stand. For some of the teen-agers, mostly members of Future Farmers of America and 4-H clubs, Friday was a big day for them and their livestock.

“Oh, Chelsea, don’t be so upset,” said Heidi Crider to her yearling Holstein cow.

Crider, a 15-year-old Mission Viejo High School student, was bathing her prized cow, but Chelsea didn’t seem to cotton to her owner’s tender, loving care. Moments earlier, Chelsea had been awarded a first-place ribbon and declared the reserve grand champion in her category, but certainly the animal was oblivious to all that fanfare.

Best-Named Cows

But if anybody had the biggest and best-named Holstein dairy cows at Friday’s competition, it had to be the brother-sister team of Frank and Laura Hilliker of El Capitan in San Diego County.

Frank, 16, wearing a blue tie and his FFA navy blue jacket, was hoping his fat cow Fudgy would win another title.

“She was a champion before and I sure would like to win here, too,” Hilliker said.

Laura, 15, dressed in her 4-H uniform complete with a lime green chapeau, was hoping to outdo her brother with her cow, Rosanna. But the problem was that Fudgy and Rosanna looked exactly alike. Both were about 3 feet wide, with healthy shining black and white coats and proud powerful heads.

“Don’t worry, the judges will find a difference,” Laura said.