Valley Fair Celebrates 50th Year : Event Offers a Smoother Ferris Wheel, Improved Garden Area

The Valley Fair kickoff Thursday afternoon was the best time for Malcolm Merrill of Studio City to go to the event.

Celebrating its 50th anniversary, the fair opened at 4 p.m. with “Senior Citizens Day.”

Getting in free is “one of the perks of being old,” commented Merrill, who would say only that he’s old enough to be retired.

The fair at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center on Riverside Drive will run through Sunday, opening at noon today and closing at 10:30 p.m., said Jana Olson-Collins, a spokeswoman for the event. On Saturday and Sunday, the gates will open at 10 a.m. and close at 10:30 p.m., she said.

Admission is $6, Olson-Collins said, except for youngsters 11 years old or younger, who can get in free as part of the fair-long theme of “Everyday Is Youth Day.”

Organizers expect about 10,000 visitors per day, Olson-Collins said.

This year’s event has a few more rides and attractions than the last few fairs, according to organizers.

Among them is a new Ferris wheel, which was first tested on opening day. “It’s not bumpy,” said Monica Ellis, a 14-year-old from Sherman Oaks. “I like it that way better.”

Thursday’s opening also featured the Skyriders Bike and Blade Aerial Thrill Show--performers who do stunts on bikes and roller-blades on a ramp.

Another old but improved feature is the Garden Pavilion, which has been present in the past, but this year has bigger and better fruits and vegetables, including a sugarless watermelon, Olson-Collins said.

“I really feel this is the best fair ever,” said Pam Corradi, the president of the fair.

Among the older, traditional attractions, one of the liveliest parts of the fair Thursday was the livestock area, where people who arrived early admired the 450 animals--including sheep, rabbits, steers and pigs--waiting to be shown in competition or sold at the weekend’s livestock show and auction.

About 400 youths from 8 to 19 who belong to local Future Farmers of America, 4-H and Grange chapters raised the animals to show them and sell them at this particular fair, said Steve Pietrolungo, the fair’s livestock superintendent and agriculture teacher at Canoga Park High School.

“The kids worked hard to raise the animals,” he said. “They hope to make a little profit.”

Looking after his pig, Jacob Miller, a 15-year-old FFA member at Canoga Park High School, said, “Last year I had a pig with more flab. The one I have this year has a little more muscle.”

Jacob hopes to make $1.50 per pound on his 265-pound Yorkshire Cross pig.

Some of the animals sold this weekend are headed for careers as barbecued dinners, said Pietrolungo.

“They’ll end up in the market, but this way they had a better life before going,” than if they had spent their lives in a commercial livestock pen, said Stephanie Christ, a 15-year-old from Verdugo Hills High School in Sunland, about the pig and turkey she raised.

In the past few years, the fair--sanctioned by Gov. Pete Wilson and organized by the state’s 51st Agricultural District--has just about broken even with the several hundred thousand dollars it costs to organize it, said Corradi. She declined to give specific figures.

She said the committee expects this fair to be similar, financially, to the last few.

As a result of losing money, Corradi said, the fair was in jeopardy of being eliminated a few years ago. However, the event has come close to making a profit in the last few years, she said.

“If we make money we would love to contribute to some of the local charities,” she said.

The fair just may have to pay up this year.

“I really feel this is going to be the best year,” predicted Lola Adams, the fair’s psychic, while waiting for customers. “It’s going to make lots of money.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

San Fernando Valley Fair

The 50th annual San Fernando Valley Fair continues today at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, 490 Riverside Drive, Burbank. Admission is $6 general, free for children 11 and younger. Hours are noon to 10:30 p.m. today, and 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Information: (818) 373-4500.

Today’s Highlights

*--*

TIME EVENT PLACE Noon, 1, 2, 8, 9 p.m. Nikkodo USA Community Stage Karaoke Contest Noon, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 p.m. Sultans of Dixie Grounds 12:30, 2:30, 4:30 p.m. Comedy Harmonica Artist Bernie Burns 1 p.m. Sheep Dog Equidome Demonstration 1:30, 3:30 p.m. Juggler Miller Country Stage Tim Simpson 1:30, 4, 7 p.m. Magician Terry Godfrey Fun Zone 1:30, 2:30, 3:30, 4:30, 5:30 p.m. Stilt Walker Grounds Matt Love 2, 3, 4 p.m. Parrot Show Miller Country Stage 2, 4:30, 7:30 p.m. Kids Games Fun Zone with Terry Godfrey 2:30, 4, 5, 6 p.m. Trinidad Steel Community Stage Drum Band 2:30, 5:30, 6:30 p.m. Picasso’s Place Fun Zone 3, 5, 8 p.m. Skyrider Bike & Thrill Zone Blade Thrill Show 3:30, 6 p.m. Jumping Jacks Thrill Zone Trampoline Show 6, 8, 9 p.m. Cross Miller Country Stage Country Band 6:45 p.m. PRCA Flying Equidome U Rodeo 7 p.m. Country Knight Miller Country Stage Cloggers 7 p.m. Alexander Longrifle Community Stage 7:30, 9:30 p.m. In Cahoots Miller Country Stage Country Line Dance

*--*