Get Ready, Get Set . . . : . . . for Opening Day of Del Mar Fair Friday

When searching for days filled with merriment, most people scan a calendar and mark days such as Christmas, New Year’s and St. Patty’s.

But for others, like Gregory Anderson, the day they eagerly await comes Friday--opening day of the 109th annual Del Mar Fair.

“You could say I almost set my calendar by it,” said Anderson, 57, who is serving as the superintendent of the fair’s gems and minerals exhibit for the 12th consecutive year.

Though the fair’s big-name entertainers, breathtaking rides and unusual exhibits often steal headlines, this year’s three-week festival is best epitomized by fair veterans such as Anderson and their more traditional exhibits.

Old Hits Even Better This Year

The fair, as usual, features stadium-packing performers and new and flashy amusements, but officials say one thing is clearly apparent this year: Long-running exhibits that have underlined the event’s success have simply gotten even better.

“Most people come out here to see the concert performers and go on the rides,” Anderson said. “But then they start walking around, and they get to see all these different exhibits. They meet interesting people, see a particular craftsman and learn something. Sometimes, they walk away with a new hobby, like mineral collecting.”

This year’s gems and mineral exhibits--a part of the fair for more than 30 years--leads a list of several “new and improved” showcases and features an eye-boggling, 5,087-carat blue topaz.

And as residents of Southern California, always waiting for “the Big One to hit,” Anderson suggests that fair goers check out a topographic model showing the county’s fault lines.

“If you live over in Mission Hills, you might want to take note of it,” Anderson said about the model designed by San Diego State University’s geological sciences department.

From Photography to Furniture

For the 40th year in a row, the fair will feature an international photography exhibit. This year’s display, celebrating photography’s 150th anniversary, holds a collection of antique cameras and honors the winners of a worldwide photography contest that attracted more than 1,700 entrants.

And in contrast to snap-together plastic furniture, some tables, baby cribs and chairs sculpted out of wood will again be featured at the “design in wood” exhibit. But this year, the exhibit has added a new category, “fantasy furniture,” which showcases a broken-legged table and a cup spilling coffee--all carved from Spanish cedar.

The Del Mar Fair, which is the 16th-largest North American fair, based on attendance, runs through July 4. Last year, a record 992,238 people attended.

Fair officials recognize that traditional events alone aren’t the draw and have once again prepared an entertainment lineup that includes performers such as Sheena Easton, Smokey Robinson, Crystal Gayle, Kenny Loggins and Tony Bennett.

Besides numerous games and activities for children, the fair will have a variety of amusement rides, including favorites such as the Ferris wheel. But adventure seekers will inevitably be drawn to new rides such as Crazy Dance, cars that spin on a spinning floor, and Dark River, a boat ride.

As usual, however, the fair also means unavoidable traffic jams, according to Shawn Riley, a fair spokeswoman.

To help alleviate the crush, organizers have expanded outlying parking and shuttle service to the fairgrounds.

During all fair weekends and on July 3 and 4, fair goers can park their cars at off-site lots and board shuttles that will drop passengers at fairgrounds gates.

The off-site lots are Torrey Pines High School (at I-5 and Carmel Mountain Road), Eastgate Technology Park (at I-805 and Eastgate Mall) and UC San Diego (at I-5 and Genesee Avenue.)

Admission to the fair is $5 for adults, $2.50 for adults over 62 and $1 for children from 6-12. Kids under 6 are free.