Country Flavor Returns : The San Fernando Valley Fair, which starts Thursday, will put the emphasis on Western-style traditions.

There was a time, and not all that long ago, when traveling to the San Fernando Valley meant visit ing row upon row of citrus groves and endless miles of cattle ranch fences.

This was “Big Valley” country, pure and simple.

And if “legitimate” cultural events detoured the rural setting, the down-home country fair certainly did not.

“The farmland is almost all gone now, but we still celebrate what the Valley was, and is, all about,” said Dale Coons, general manager for the San Fernando Valley Fair.

“It’s about our heritage--hard-working families pulling together with lots of community support,” Coons said.

This year, the fair, which began in 1946, moves to a new location: the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank. Last year’s fair, held at Hansen Dam in Lake View Terrace, drew nearly 51,000 visitors during its four-day run.

Festivities include live entertainment headlined by country-Western star Freddy Fender, plus arts, crafts and carnival rides. They begin Thursday and continue through Sunday.

Stepping into the fairgrounds will be like stepping into another time and place. There will a strong emphasis on Western-style traditions, including cooking, a rodeo, pig races, a petting zoo, and livestock shows and competitions.

“But this isn’t just about the past,” Coons said. “We are promoting displays that show the past, present and future of the Valley.”

And sometimes the past meets the present in a way that gives even the most die-hard city slicker a glimmer of hope for the future.

“You’d be surprised at how many kids still live in farm-like conditions, even here in the Valley,” said Sandy Little, the fair’s director of large livestock competitions for juniors. “I mean, you have to have some land in order to raise a cow or a hog.”

Fifty people between 5 and 21 will compete in about 2,000 categories. All are area residents from such communities as Sun Valley, Shadow Hills, Chatsworth and Simi Valley, and are affiliated with one of three agricultural clubs--4-H, Future Farmers of America or Grange Kids.

For most, the annual Valley Fair is their largest competition and the culmination of year-round work.

If you’re looking for a slice of Americana, step right up to the savvy and exotic showmanship of the medicine man, a traditional country fair fixture who often appeared at small town gatherings in the 1800s.

“The old-time medicine men could make anything into their stage,” said Richard Gill, 63, who presents “The Medicine Man Show” for the third year at the Valley Fair. “Back then, they were the entertainment, selling their ‘magic elixir’ and God knows what else. Kind of like modern-day television pitchmen.”

The other live entertainment is quite varied. At 7 p.m. Thursday--opening night--the star attraction is New Riders of the Golden Age, a jousting performance group from Florida. At 7 p.m. Friday, Triangle T, a rodeo, will be featured.

Freddy Fender performs at 8 p.m. Saturday, proceeded at 7 by a horse-show competition. Throughout the four-day fair, about 25 performers and bands will be featured.

WHERE AND WHEN; trim to 8p wide

What: San Fernando Valley Fair.

Where: Los Angeles Equestrian Center, 480 Riverside Drive, Burbank.

Hours: Noon to 10 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Price: $5, free for children 11 and younger. Thursday, senior citizens 55 and older will be admitted free until 6 p.m.

Parking: $3.

Call: (818) 373-4500.