Steak-Out : Del Mar Fair Has the Beef

The Del Mar Fair presents:

Ta Da!--”Beef at the Beach” . . . starring Biff and Boris.

The 108th opening of the fair, traditionally an event suitable for all family members, has not gone risque, organizers say reassuringly.

Biff and Boris are not muscle-bound beachboys but are in fact two Chianina-Angus, mixed-breed steers, according to Del Mar Fair spokeswoman Diane Scholfield.

“We realized that the slogan had a double meaning and that people might do a double take over it,” she said. “But that wasn’t our real intention.”

Scholfield said the slogan was chosen, along with Biff and Boris, to represent the theme of this year’s fair: a tribute to the beef industry. The fair runs from June 16 through July 4.

Although many people come to the fair for its amusement rides, big-name entertainers and exhibits, Scholfield said a survey conducted last year revealed that visitors ranked the livestock show as their second-favorite exhibit, trailing only the flower and garden show.

“Every year they bring in fancier rides, more big-name entertainers,” said Harold Hilliker, 45, a Lakeside farmer and the fair’s livestock superintendent. “But it makes you feel real good to know that ultimately the people come back for the livestock.”

Although the fair might be fun and games for many, Hilliker said he uses the event to remind visitors of the contributions made by the farmers and ranchers, whose ranks are dwindling nationwide.

“People just go into the supermarket and think the food is just going to be there,” said Hilliker, who began working at the fair more than 30 years ago, running such errands as carrying rabbits. “Kids come to the fair and see a cow being milked for the first time, and that’s when they realize that milk doesn’t come from the local 7-Eleven.”

Gem and mineral booths, photography exhibits, food counters and performers such as Club Nouveau and Johnny Cash are expected to help draw crowds as large as last year’s, when 891,240 came through the gates, making it the 17th largest fair in the United States based on attendance.

With such crowds, however, come traffic snarls, the only drawback to the fair, Scholfield said.

In hope of alleviating the snarls, organizers have expanded parking and established shuttle services to discourage people from driving to the fairgrounds.

On all weekends during the fair, visitors can park free at a 900-car space lot at Torrey Pines High School. A 1,500-car lot at UC San Diego will be available during the fair’s last two weekends.