A FAIR OF THE HEART : Del Mar Fairgrounds Event Endears Itself to Southlanders With Rides, Food and Music

Someone (either Don Diego or Dr. Johnson) said that to be tired of the Del Mar Fair is to be tired of life.

Maybe Don or Doc had in mind the Footsie Wootsie ultimate foot massage (25 cents for five vibrating minutes), the 16 kinds of sheep, the Fun Zone rides, Meteor Man in the gem exhibition, the pool and spa exhibits, the flowers, the barbecue, the fricassee and the deep fat-fry.

Or maybe it was the 19 concerts ranging from Los Huracanes del Norte to rapper Queen Latifah to the Shirelles to Trisha Yearwood.

And don’t forget Monster Trucks, the circus, the canine carnival, a 5,000-duck rubber-duck race, the rodeo, the Alliance for Divorce and Marriage Reform booth, lizards on display, and the Jalapeno Pepper Eating Contest. All in all, a fair to remember.

Since 1936, except for the years of World War II, a fair has held forth at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, best known as a spot where equines run on an oval track and people make sporting wagers. The fair opens in mid-June, reaches a rockets’ red-glare finale on the night of July 4, and the racing season begins shortly thereafter.

For the statistically minded, the fair is the 12th largest in North America, second largest in California, covers virtually the entire 400 acres of the fairgrounds, and hit a record attendance of 1,130,843 in 1991, including an estimated 50,000 to 75,000 from Orange County.

The Del Mar Fair--a child of the 22nd District Agricultural Assn., a state entity run by gubernatorial appointees--is woven deeply into the fabric of southern Southern California life.

The fair is even forgiven its agriculturally based slogan-puns. One of this year’s, as befits a celebration of the lettuce and sheep industries, is “Lettuce Entertain Ewe.” When cows and chrysanthemums were center stage, the watchword was “Moos & Mums.”

When Tommy Hernandez, a.k.a. Don Diego, the Spanish-born heartthrob and movie star who was the fair’s greeter and guiding spirit for near 40 years, died a few fairs back, it occasioned public lamentations and front-page eulogies of the kind the average politician would die for. A Don Diego statue greets all fair visitors.

One of Don Diego’s tasks was to escort the winner of the Fairest of the Fair contest, who reigns over the fair. In 1958, that put him close to one Raquel Tejada, later known as Raquel Welch. In 1963, Barbara Mandrell was first runner-up Fairest of the Fair (a lot of people don’t know that).

But what a lot of people do know is that the quickest way to a fair patron’s heart is through the stomach, and Del Mar has dozens of stands where the food is fast and tasteful. In fact, such is the gustatory anticipation of the cinnamon rolls sold at the fair that a food critic on San Diego television provided a late-breaking review of this year’s rolls on opening night. Fair patrons have been known to stand flat-footed on the midway and debate the merits of this year’s rolls against last, or the more complex question of whether the rolls are enhanced by diced walnuts.

Are there new things this year?

How about a bungee swinging ride, the AT&T; TrueVoice Experience Simulation Theatre (your chance to become an F-18 pilot) and Battered Australian Potatoes (with or without cheese) and a Lithuanian juggler from Oregon?

Along with the traditional stuffed bears, the games of skill have a new lure: Mighty Morphin Power Ranger figures. And for aging boomers, Glen Yarbrough, the Drifters, and the Kingston Trio are doing “senior” concerts.

And one final note for parents: Yes, there are several ATMs on the premises.

Where and When

What: The Del Mar Fair.

When: 9 a.m. to midnight (no entry after 10 p.m.) through July 4.

Where: The Del Mar Fairgrounds.

Whereabouts: Take the San Diego (5) Freeway to the Via de la Valle exit in Del Mar and head west. Turn left at Jimmy Durante Boulevard. The fair’s on the right, parking is on both sides of the road.

Wherewithal: $7 for adults, $4 for seniors, $2 for children 6 to 12 years. Parking is $3.

Where to call: (619) 793-5555.

Fair Fare: The entertainment lineup at the Del Mar Fair:

* TODAY

Grandstand: Rich Little

Infield: Shirelles, Monte Carlos

Arena: Circus Hollywood

* FRIDAY

Grandstand: Taylor Dayne

Infield: Shirelles, Monte Carlos

Arena: Team Penning

* SATURDAY

Grandstand: Ronnie Milsap

Infield: Shadowfax

Arena: Team Penning

* SUNDAY

Grandstand: Los Huracanes del Norte

Infield: Robben Ford & the Blue Line

Arena: Fiesta Latina Day Musical Blast ’94

* MONDAY

Grandstand: Queen Latifah

Infield: Starship

Arena: Canine Carnival

* TUESDAY

Grandstand: Faith Hill

Infield: Starship

Arena: Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Show

* WEDNESDAY

Grandstand: DC Talk

Infield: El Chicano

Arena: Rodeo

* JUNE 30

Grandstand: Wynonna Judd

Infield: First Edition

Arena: Rodeo

* JULY 1

Grandstand: Michael Franks

Infield: Zaca Creek

Arena: Rodeo

* JULY 2

Grandstand: Trisha Yearwood

Infield: Common Sense

Arena: Rodeo

* JULY 3

Grandstand: David Lee Roth

Infield: Rob Hanna

Arena: Tractor Pull

* JULY 4

Grandstand: Tim McGraw at 2 p.m. The U.S. Navy Band at 7:30 p.m.; fireworks to follow

Infield: Poco

Arena: Monster Trucks