Pigs and Ostriches to Jockey for Fame at the San Bernardino County Fair

Birds don’t do it; bees don’t do it. Camels do, though, and ostriches, and even pigs. They’ll be doing it daily at the San Bernardino County Fair, which continues today through Aug. 6.

Pigs, which run faster than anyone but another pig can imagine, will race daily, more or less on their own. Jockeys control the camels and ostriches, which race on weekend evenings and twice nightly on Saturdays and Sundays.

Among horse-powered races are, curiously, not horses (though the fair will have satellite horse-race wagering twice daily) but trucks and cars, matching speed, power and durability in races, pulls and destruction derbies.

Entertainment is virtually nonstop. Shows in the grandstand arena are scheduled at 7 and 9 p.m. and will feature the likes of Freddie Fender and his Tex-Mex sound (Sunday), honky-tonk blues by the Charlie Daniels Band (Monday) and the rock ‘n’ roll of Carl Perkins (Friday).

Contests for kids include the standard but always beguiling sack races, balloon tosses and three-legged races, as well as diaper derbies and toddlers’ trots for 1- and 2-year-olds.

Add rides, food, a beer garden, a junior livestock auction and a giggle of other activities--some costing extra, some free with admission--and the fair shapes up as typical California with nostalgic overtones of Indiana.

Hours are Monday-Friday 3 p.m.-midnight; Saturdays and Sundays noon-midnight. Admission is $5 for adults, $2 for children 6-12, $3 for 55 and over, free for under-6; parking is free. The fair is located at 14800 7th St. in Victorville. Call (619) 951-2200.