Ventura County Fair Blends Old and New

From the ugliest fish to the best-looking pig, the animals will be out in force starting Wednesday as the 1996 Ventura County Fair kicks off for 12 days of livestock competitions, daredevil carnival rides, eclectic entertainment and culinary treats.

This year’s fair will be the last chance for Ventura High School graduate Jenny Graham to enter her 200-pound blue-birthmarked swine. Because she is leaving for college, she won’t be raising the so-called “bluebutt” porkers anymore. The fair, she hopes, will send her and her pig off with a bang.

Fair publicist Teri Raley will also cherish the memory of her fat lip that resulted from a run-in with a goose as she attempted to squeeze the creature into a cage for the poultry pre-fair showmanship contest.

The Ventura County Fair, which this year carries the theme “Planting Memories,” will be replete with stories and memories for the 250,000 expected visitors.

As in the past, there will be a blend of tradition and novelty. New exhibits--including an ostrich showmanship contest and an Academic Rodeo for youngsters--will complement the more traditional offerings, such as the 35,000-square-foot floriculture exhibit and the Spam recipe competition.

The entertainment department will also offer a mix of old and new. From Las Vegas lounge king Wayne Newton to country classic Willie Nelson to the soul of Gladys Knight, the veterans will be joined by country phenomenon Patty Loveless and a full night of gospel music with more than 15 Ventura County churches participating.

“We take enormous pride in maintaining our tradition,” said Raley, adding that there are always new components to the fair. “People think they have seen everything, but chances are there are enough things you have never seen before.”

The fair, which will continue through Aug. 25, will offer special discount days for youngsters under 12, military personnel, seniors and families, Raley said.

The fair opens every day at 11 a.m. with exhibits closing at 10 p.m. The carnival opens at noon daily.

Admission is $6 for adults, $3 for children 6 to 12 years old and seniors 55 or older, and free for children 5 and under.

Raley stressed the advantage of purchasing early bird carnival tickets--$20 for 20 rides instead of waiting and paying nearly $3 a ride. They are available at Seaside Park through Tuesday.

Because parking can become a hassle, Raley recommends that fair visitors take advantage of public transportation systems such as Amtrak or MetroLink, or the shuttle lots at the Buenaventura Mall, Ventura High School and Lots E and F at the Government Center.

Amtrak is offering a discount--a free ride for youths under 15 with each paid adult fare from anywhere in Southern California, Mondays through Thursdays.

MetroLink will offer service Saturdays and Sundays from Simi Valley, Moorpark, Camarillo and Oxnard, with the last train leaving Seaside Park at 10:15 p.m.

Once visitors arrive at the fair, they will be bombarded with activities and so many choices that decision-making could be difficult.

The exhibits form the “heart and soul” of the fair, Raley said.

Last year, officials received more than 21,000 entries, Raley said.

Exhibits this year run the gamut from ice-cream-making demonstrations to an exotic Andalusian horse show to a turtle and tortoise competition, in which members of the Santa Barbara-Ventura Counties Chapter of the California Turtle & Tortoise Club will display their pets and stage a competition for the largest and most active shell-bound crawler.

Contests at the fair will vary from arm wrestling and cow-chip tossing to the first-ever stock dog herding finals.

Oxnard cattle rancher John Harvey, whose border collie is the only dog entered in both the sheep and cattle-herding competition, is looking forward to the finals Aug. 16.

“I am hoping she’ll do pretty well,” said Harvey, who enters his dogs in competitions statewide. “She’s an all-around dog. She was the only dog that made it in both categories and I’m tickled with that. If she does real super, I might just bring her back some steak.”

There will be steak available for fair visitors but they will also have plenty of hot dogs, lemonade, chili fries and even an ostrich cooking and tasting demonstration for the adventurous palate.

It will be, Raley promises, a fair to remember.

“It is so much fun to build on the theme,” Raley said. “It is such a forward thinking way to dig into the happy things in your past. There is no way you can go to the Ventura County Fair and not come home with a memory.”