Bit of Polynesia

Say aloha to the 105th annual Orange County Fair, opening this weekend, with 17 days of Polynesian-themed activities. What better time to get tropical.

Friday Night

Start the weekend at one of L.A.’s oldest purveyors of Polynesian cuisine, Trader Vic’s, 9876 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, (310) 276-6345, where you can sit among the palm fronds, sip caldrons of rum-spiked mai tais, scorpions and zombies and feel the week’s troubles melt away.

Saturday

Sport your loudest Hawaiian shirt on your back and plenty of zinc oxide on your nose for the 105th annual Orange County Fair, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. Attractions include fire and hula dancers, livestock shows, a tropical bird show, pig racing, barnyard fashion shows, arts and crafts, peanut shucking contests, grapefruit bowling, international food, homemade wine and beer, gems and minerals, livestock displays, a kiddie carnival and more. The Young Hawaiians of Southern California will demonstrate and sell tropical wares such as ipu gourds, leis and coconut leaf baskets.

This weekend includes the Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Show Friday through Sunday; motorcycle speedway sidecar racing Friday at 8 p.m., and motorcycle speedway racing (without the sidecar) Saturday at 8 p.m. Sunday is Harley day, with a bike show and motorcycle rodeo at 4 and 8 p.m.

The fairground’s Arlington Theater hosts a concert series (free with admission) at 7 and 9 p.m. daily. Performing Friday are Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers; Saturday, Grass Roots; and Sunday, Pat Boone.

Other performers at this year’s fair include MC Lyte, Ben Vereen, Emilio, Jose Feliciano, the Gap Band, Chris LeDoux, America, Smokin’ Armadillos and comedian Paul Rodriguez.

Fair hours are noon to midnight Mondays through Wednesdays and 10 a.m. to midnight Thursdays through Sundays. Admission is $6 for ages 13 to 54, $5 for seniors 55 and older and $2 for children 6 to 12; children 5 and under are admitted free, (714) 708-FAIR.

Sunday

With surfboards and marlins gracing the walls, waiters decked out in Hawaiian shirts and a killer view of the ocean, Duke’s Malibu, 21150 Pacific Coast Highway, (310) 317-0777, can’t be beat. The Sunday all-you-can-eat brunch buffet with chicken teriyaki, fresh fish, omelets, eggs benedict, fruit and pastries is $14.95 for adults, $8.95 for children.

A current exhibition at the California Heritage Museum, “Aloha Spirit--Hawaii’s Influence on the California Lifestyle,” explores the Golden Age of Hawaii with a look at objects produced and designed for the tourist industry in the islands, including decorative arts and furnishings from the 1940s and ‘50s, men’s and women’s aloha vintage clothing, paper Hawaiiana, musical instruments and a section on surfing. California Heritage Museum, 2612 Main St., Santa Monica. Open Wednesdays through Saturdays 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 4 p.m. Admission: $3 general, $2 for students and seniors; children under 12 free.

While away the last weekend hours listening to the dreamy surf music of the Blue Hawaiians at the paragon of tiki tackiness, the Lava Lounge, 1533 N. La Brea Ave., Hollywood, (213) 876-6612; 21 and over.