‘Berry Extraordinary’ Fair Nears Its 1990 Debut

On a recent weekday, Shortcake lay lazily in the shade, surrounded by mounds of hay as her 12 week-old babies stumbled to the fence of their one-room home to greet unexpected guests.

Still recovering from the recent birth, the mother seemed unconcerned that her home was cramped and in disarray. You see, Shortcake is a 350-pound Yorkshire-Hampshire pig and one of the star attractions of the 98th annual Orange County Fair that opens here Wednesday.

While Shortcake rested, the streets and buildings at the fairgrounds were abuzz with activity as workers made final preparations to welcome the throngs of visitors to this year’s fair.

“We’ve increased our attendance each year of the fair,” said Diane Sorenson, a fair coordinator. “We expect to top last year’s attendance.”

This year’s theme, “Very, Berry Extraordinary,” is a salute to the county’s strawberry industry.

Fair attendance reached an all-time high last year when 544,816 people streamed through the gates, an 11% increase over 1988’s attendance.

The fair will feature 67 carnival rides, a motorcycle speedway and side-car races and a rodeo during its 12-day run through July 22. Six stages will feature nightly concerts and a variety of other entertainment from the tropical sounds of the Trinidad Steel Band to an Elvis Presley impersonator.

Among the attractions expected to draw big crowds are the arts and crafts exhibition, the animal petting barn and the Global Wheel, a Ferris wheel-type ride that travels 100 feet into the air and gives riders a chance to view the entire 160-acre fairgrounds, Sorenson said.

Other popular rides include the Sea Dragon, a ride which looks like a Viking ship and swings back and forth, and the Himalaya, a spinning ride in a tunnel.

In keeping with the fair’s theme, Shortcake, a costumed mascot, will rove the fairgrounds. Hoof prints painted throughout the grounds will lead the way to the real Shortcake and her piglets.

Specialized areas offer fair-goers an opportunity to be more involved in fair activities. The Craftsman Village allows visitors to watch artists while craftsmen demonstrate woodworking, basketry, glass blowing and opal cutting. Crops of strawberries, spinach and cucumbers may also be viewed and touched in Centennial Farm, the fair’s replica of a working farm.

In the nine exhibit halls, visitors may peruse arts and crafts, fine arts and photography, sample award-winning wines, or sit back and watch as professional florists put together room and patio displays. An authentic-looking, wood and plexiglass model of the World War II battleship Missouri, in home port in Long Beach, can be seen among the 3,000 exhibits in the arts and home-crafts hall.

“We really get nice entries,” said Madeline Ellis, the assistant supervisor of the arts and home-crafts department. Entrants in this department are limited to Orange County residents.

Headline attractions--free with fair admission--such as Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers, The Charlie Daniels Band, Melissa Manchester, Shadowfax and Sawyer Brown will perform nightly at 7 and 9 p.m. Elephant rides, an added attraction this year, will be offered for $2 each.

Sixty food concessionaires serving traditional and international foods and 300 commercial exhibitors offering such merchandise as household appliances, clothing, jewelry, novelty items, plants and home improvement items will be on hand throughout the fair.

Each year, more than 10 million people attend California fairs. Of the 81 fairs in the state, the Orange County Fair ranks sixth in attendance, according to fair officials.

The fair is open noon to midnight Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to midnight on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. General admission is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors, $2 for children between ages 6 and 12, and free for children younger than 6.

Among the on-site services are: stroller/wheelchair rentals, automated bank teller machines and tags from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department booth to help parents locate lost children.

Each day, there will be a variety of contests in which fair-goers can participate, including coloring and mural-painting contests and doughnut- and pie-eating contests.

There will also be several fair promotion days with special admission and ride prices. Among them are kids’ days on Friday and again on July 20, and senior citizens’ day on July 19.