AN ORANGE-COLORED 100TH : Centennial Edition of the Fair Finds a Fruitful Theme in Its Historical Roots

It’s only appropriate that in its 100th year, the Orange County Fair celebrate its namesake fruit.

Whether the county was actually named for the orange is a point of some dispute--and another story--but the Valencia and other citrus fruits certainly were for many years the mainstay of the local agricultural industry and a big part of the area’s sunny image.

For example, many of the most popular postcards of the 1930s and ‘40s showed some variation of this scene: snow-capped peaks in the distance; orange trees, branches laden with fruit and dappled in sunlight, in the foreground. It was the kind of card transplanted Easterners with a cruel streak would send to the folks back home in winter.

With “Meet Our Main Squeeze” as its slogan (and a guy dressed as an orange for a mascot) this year’s fair salutes the county’s citrus industry. The event opens Friday and continues through July 26 at the fairgrounds in Costa Mesa.

By the time the fair’s modern era began in 1949 (when it moved to its present location) the citrus industry had long been running at full speed. In 1915, the county had 20,850 acres of citrus trees; by 1923, that figure had jumped to 55,500. In 1942, the citrus industry hit its peak, at least in acreage: 75,608 acres of trees, all but 10,000 acres of which were Valencia oranges.

While the citrus industry remained strong into the ‘70s, by the ‘80s orange trees had been all but squeezed out by development. In 1990, about 4,000 total acres of citrus trees remained.

The Orange County Fair, meanwhile, has only grown bigger over the years (last year’s event drew a record crowd of 637,014). The event went through various mutations in its first few decades, and working out its genealogy takes some detective work--in fact, much of the early history of the fair is open to guesswork.

The year 1890 is pegged as the first year of the fair. That early precursor to today’s 17-day extravaganza was primarily a horse-racing event at the old Santa Ana Race Track, at Bristol and Edinger streets, along with some agricultural displays at French’s Opera House near 4th and Bush streets. The annual opera house exhibits continued through 1897, the horse races until 1902.

Truth be told, there was no single event called the Orange County Fair in many of the years through World War II. There was the Parade of Products in 1906, held in conjunction with the completion of the Pacific Electric Railway line from Los Angeles to Santa Ana; there was the Carnival of Products, the Anaheim Carnival, the Harvest Home Festival, the Community Fall Festival, and the Valencia Orange Show, in a parade of different locations, many of them unrecorded.

In 1913 and 1914, county exhibitors took part in the National Orange Show in San Bernardino; from 1932 to 1938, they participated in a tri-county fair in Pomona (with Los Angeles and Riverside counties). Then there were numerous community-based fairs that kept the tradition alive in many of the intervening years. No fairs are recorded in 1916 and 1942 because of the World Wars I and II, which accounts for the centennial being celebrated this year.

When the fair moved to its current home, the former Santa Ana Army Air Base and West Coast Training Center, today’s event was really born. Along with the usual events--carnival rides, food booths, livestock shows, craft and cooking contests, agricultural exhibits and entertainment--the 1992 Orange County Fair has scheduled events and attractions to play up its roots.

Fair-goers will get a taste of the event’s historical flavor as they walk through the main gate and into the Centennial Pole Tent, where exhibits celebrating Orange County’s past will include an old citrus delivery truck, a horse-drawn dairy wagon and two classic Woodies with vintage surfboards, along with an old-fashioned carnival game. According to Phyllis Morrow, supervisor of the tent display, the exhibition is meant to convey the feel of an old-time fair.

“I don’t know how many people really know this is the centennial. Some people come to eat food and go on the rides,” Morrow said. “We’re hoping that this will kind of get people in the mood.”

The mood-setting extends to getting exhibitors in the tent to dress in period costume. “We wanted to put sawdust on the floor and the whole nine yards, but of course in these modern times with fire marshals and all that, you can’t do that anymore,” Morrow said.

Historical exhibits will also be offered in Centennial Hall, an exhibit area that made its debut in a “trial run” last year. In addition to exhibits by county historical associations, the hall will feature displays of fair memorabilia, as well as items from the old Army air base that occupied the site for just five years, from 1943 to 1948.

Last year, the creation of Centennial Hall was almost an afterthought. The idea was conceived in March, just a few months before the fair. “We were all kind of taken aback by the enthusiasm that was generated,” said Don Clark, supervisor of the hall. “This year, the outpouring and response has been even greater.”

The historical theme is continued throughout the fair. Each exhibit hall will be themed in a different era, with exhibitors dressed in period costume. A book on the history of the fair will be sold in Centennial Hall; a Centennial cookbook, with recipes from Orange County founding families and past fair winners, will be sold in the Home Arts building.

Many of the fair’s events also will take on an old-time flavor. Ostrich races are back for the first time since the 1950s. The birds are harnessed to sulkies, and drivers steer them with brooms as they hit speeds of up to 40 m.p.h.

The ostrich races are part of an “old-fashioned road show” held at 2 and 8 p.m. daily from Monday to July 23 in the Coors Light Arena. The show includes motorcycle stunts, acrobats and a dog show.

About 30 former fair queens--the oldest being Tustin’s Helen Smiley Lutz, 85--have been tracked down and invited to take part in the festivities. Special guests invited to the fair’s opening ceremonies include more than 50 county residents at least 100 years old (Willard Scott of “Today,” known for honoring centenarians on the show, is slated to broadcast from the fair early Friday morning).

Preparations for the fair’s bicentennial, meanwhile, are already underway. Closing ceremonies for this year’s fair will include the burial of a time capsule, to be opened in 2092.

For musical events, see accompanying story, this page. Other fair events include:

* A rodeo in the Coors Light Arena at 8 p.m. on July 24; 4 and 8 p.m. on July 25; 4 p.m. on July 26. Events include bull riding, broncobusting and barrel racing.

* Other events in the Coors Light Arena include motorcycle racing Friday at 8 p.m.; midget car races Saturday at 8 p.m., and “car hopping and bed dancing,” a contest testing the bouncing ability of cars and trucks with special hydraulic systems, Sunday at 2 p.m. Championship speedway side car racing takes over the arena Sunday at 8 p.m.

* Junior livestock auction, July 18 at 9:30 a.m. in the livestock arena. Livestock events will be offered regularly in the arena.

* Special games and contests throughout the fair, including a wool-spinning contest July 16 at 1 p.m. and a woodcarving contest July 25 at 1 p.m. Both events will be held in the Home Arts building.

* A revolving slate of magicians will perform daily in the Bijou Theatre.

* Comics Wil Shriner, Wayne Cotter and Carol Leifer perform in the Arlington Theatre July 19 at 7 and 9 p.m. in a show billed as “A Night at the Improv,” hosted by Bud Friedman.

* The Orange County-based All American Boys Chorus will perform on opening day and on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays throughout the fair on the Heritage Stage. Musical acts and comedy by Christopher and Co. will be offered throughout each day on that stage and at other locations on the fairgrounds, including the Centennial Stage, at Moonshine Meadows and the Kids Stage (see map, Page 11).

Strolling entertainers will include the “Clown Patrol,” stilt walkers and Anaheim’s Main Street Jazz Band.

Fair attractions will include the usual suspects: exhibit halls for everything from flower arranging to commercial goods, carnival rides and games, food offerings, livestock exhibits and children’s attractions, including elephant rides and a petting zoo.

What: Orange County Fair.

When: Friday, July 10, through July 26. Hours are Monday through Wednesday, noon to midnight; Thursday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to midnight.

Where: Orange County Fairgrounds, Fair Drive and Fairview Road, Costa Mesa.

Whereabouts: San Diego (405) Freeway to either the Harbor Boulevard or Fairview Road exit. Head south to Fair Drive and left to the main entrance.

Wherewithal: Admission is $2 to $5, and free for kids under age 6. Parking at the fair is $3 (free if there are four or more in the car). All entertainment is free with fair admission.

Where to call: (714) 751-3247.

Vehicles Can Get a Free Ride

Fair-goers will have several parking alternatives from which to choose.

Parking at the fairgrounds is normally $3 per vehicle, but free parking will be offered for cars with four or more passengers and for buses arriving at the main parking lot.

Also, free off-site parking and shuttle service will be offered each Friday through Sunday, at the Automobile Club of Southern California lot on Fairview and South Coast streets. Exit the San Diego (405) Freeway at Fairview and go north to the entrance on South Coast Drive.

Additional off-site parking will be available at the Sky Park Circle lot at John Wayne Airport. From the San Diego Freeway, exit at MacArthur Boulevard and go north to Sky Park Boulevard.

The lots will be open to fair-goers from 6:30 p.m. to midnight on Fridays and noon to midnight on Saturdays and Sundays. Buses will provide a free shuttle to the fair every 15 to 20 minutes.

Also, the Orange County Transit District and the Orange County Fair will distribute free ride coupons to the fair on any OCTD bus or Dial-A-Ride vehicle. For information, call (714) 751-3247.

WHERE’S THE FAIR?

The Orange County Fair, celebrating its 100th birthday, begins Friday and runs until July 26. Ostrich racing, popular during the fair’s early days, is back, along with hair-raising carnival rides, speedway racing, magic shows and exhibits. The lineup of musical entertainers include country’s Doug Kershaw and the Gatlin Brothers, plus the Everly Brothers, Jan & Dean, the Fifth Dimension and the Temptations performing pop hits from the past.