Computers Click With Kids of ‘90s at Fair

While livestock shows and pie-eating contests have long defined the century-old Ventura County Fair, this year’s venue has a truly millennial feel.

The traditions remain, but an overhauled youth exhibit celebrates the computer generation for the first time. Next to the 4-H club displays of handmade arts and crafts sit two 60-inch monitors anchoring an interactive Web site station.

“I’m surprised. I didn’t expect the fair to have a place to look at the Net,” said Steven Tabarez of Oxnard, whose 10-year-old son was busy at a computer keyboard. “But I guess a 1998 fair should reflect 1998 technology. I imagine people got to see what a color TV looked like at some fair in the past.”

Tabarez’s son, Mark, was showing up the adults watching him master a CD-ROM game.

“There’s not a computer he can’t walk up to and start pointing, clicking and navigating his way around,” Mark’s dad said.

Hal Beavers, who helps run the computers at the new Youth Expo, said Mark was a typical user at the popular high-tech display.

“It takes me a long time to figure out what I’m doing, but these kids jump right on with no hesitation,” Beavers said as he attempted to download a live Internet feed from a Colorado zoo that allows people to watch a giraffe go about its day. “It’s frustrating.”

Beavers said the attention to computers at the fair acknowledges what kids are into and gives their elders a chance to see how adept the younger generation is when it comes to technology.

“As popular as computers are now, a lot of adults are afraid of them,” Beavers said. “But the kids know they don’t bite or break that easily.”

Mark said he cannot remember a time when he was not near a computer.

“Computers are cool,” said Mark, who was hitting the fair’s technology exhibit even before going on any rides. “It would be pretty boring without computers; I like playing the games. And sometimes I don’t even mean to learn, but I do.”

Fair organizers said comments like that prove they did the right thing in bringing the exhibits into the 21st century.

“It’s so easy to continue doing the same thing because it works,” fair publicist Teri Raley said. “But we need to let the fair evolve so it keeps pace with the interest of the young people.”

Showing that the traditional agricultural aspect of the fair can integrate with modern technology, Juanita and Charlie Harris--sporting green and white uniforms--played on the computer in the same room where their 4-H club projects were on display.

The Fillmore siblings have each created their own Web sites at home. But they still enjoy tending animals and sewing quilts.

Eleven-year-old Charlie has raised a pig, some chickens and makes his own ceramics. He also posts a Web site that dispenses information about baseball.

Juanita is still designing her Web page.

“It’s not finished yet, because I’ve been so busy with 4-H,” said the 14-year-old, who has won ribbons at this year’s fair for the flower-print dress she sewed, some hand quilting and the dozen eggs laid by her chicken.

Despite his interest in computers, Charlie said he won’t let that take the place of old-fashioned skills.

“I think the 4-H stuff is a lot better than computers,” he said. “It’s more fun painting and making things. You’re actually doing something. You have to think and not just push a button.”

Beyond computers, the Youth Expo is filled with drawings, sculptures and paintings by young artists. There are also hourly shows. A Hollywood makeup artist recruits kids from the audience and gives them bloody gashes, monster fangs and pingpong-ball eyes. A hands-on “Mad Science” demonstration invites kids to make slime and bubbling potions and offers a static electricity ball that makes their hair stand up.

But organizers are most proud of their foray into the Internet.

“The shows are sensational and have been very well-received,” Raley said.

“The fair has changed,” Beavers said. “There’s nothing wrong with the farm-oriented fair, but this one is a little more cosmopolitan now.”

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Today at the Fair

Here’s a look at what’s happening at the Ventura County Fair today, which is Youth Day:

* Free admission for all guests 12 and younger

* Carnival wristband: unlimited rides noon to 6 p.m. for $14

* Seaside Park opens 11 a.m.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 7

11 a.m.: Seaside Park Opens

All Day: National Reined Cow Horse Show Morgan Arena

All Day: Citrus Day Agriculture

All Day: Ojai Quilters Creative Living

All Day: Senior Division Breeding Sheep Clark Pavilion

11 a.m.-2 p.m.: Children’s Scavenger Hunt Guest Relations

11 a.m.: 4-H Dog Show Star Stage

11 a.m.-5 p.m.: Ventura Stamp Club: Stamp Collecting Hobbies

11 a.m.-4 p.m.: Hands-on with Gull Wings Museum Youth Expo

11 a.m.-1 p.m.: Science with Worms Youth Expo

11 a.m.: TWIGS Nutrition & Gardening Youth Expo for Children

11 a.m.: Alphabet Soup Puppeteers Children’s Dell

11 a.m.: Old Time Fiddlers Pepsi Community Stage

11 a.m.-3 p.m.: Cal Koch: Faceting Gems & Minerals

11 a.m.-3 p.m.: Ruth Engle: Picture Beading Gems & Minerals

11 a.m.-3 p.m.: Dave Champion: The World of Gems & Minerals Rockhounding

11 a.m.: Duke & Dolly Dolphin Strolling

11 a.m.: BC Characters Strolling

11 a.m.: Sheep to Shawl demonstration Clark Pavilion

11:30 a.m.: Special Effects Makeup by Stevens Youth Expo Studios

11:30 a.m.: Cartooning at Picasso’s Place Children’s Dell

11:30 a.m.: Breeze 105.5-FM welcomes Exotic Porker Flats Animal Encounter Noon Nels & the Peanut Butter Cookie Band Pepsi Community Stage

Noon: Honor Farm Deputy Uncle Leo’s Barn

Noon-2 p.m.: Children’s Scavenger Hunt Guest Relations

12:30 p.m.: Steven Lord (guitarist-vocalist) Agriculture

12:30 p.m.: Rainbow Magic Show Children’s Dell

1 p.m.: Best Spaghetti Sauce Contest Creative Living

1-3 p.m.: Ruth Engle: Picture Beading Gems & Minerals

1-5 p.m.: Ventura Stamp Club: Stamp Collecting Hobbies

1:30 p.m.: Steven Lord (guitarist-vocalist) Agriculture

1:30 p.m.: Pie Eating Contest (Jr. Fair Board) Pepsi Community Stage

1:30-3 p.m.: Cal Koch: Faceting Gems & Minerals

1:30 p.m.: Cartooning at Picasso’s Place Children’s Dell

1:30 p.m.: Breeze 105.5-FM welcomes Exotic Porker Flats Animal Encounter

1:30 p.m.: Special Effects Makeup by Stevens Youth Expo Studios

2 p.m.: Balloonacy Strolling

2 p.m.: Alphabet Soup Puppeteers Children’s Dell

2 p.m.: Sheep to Shawl continues Clark Pavilion

2-3 p.m.: Dave Champion: The World of Gems & Minerals Rockhounding

2:30 p.m.: Macuilxochitl (children’s mariachi band) Pepsi Community Stage

2:30 p.m.: National Reined Cow Horse Show Morgan Arena

2:30 p.m.: Story Time with Andrea Howry Uncle Leo’s Barn

3 p.m.: Rainbow Magic Show Children’s Dell

3 p.m.: Steven Lord (guitarist-vocalist) Youth Expo

3 p.m.: Barn Talk Uncle Leo’s Barn

3:30 p.m.: Breeze 105.5-FM welcomes Exotic Porker Flats Animal Encounter

3:30 p.m.: Special Effects Makeup by Stevens Youth Expo Studios

4 p.m.: Young Olympians (children’s dance) Star Stage

4 p.m.: Alphabet Soup Puppeteers Children’s Dell

4-6 p.m.: Camarillo High Drama Dept. Youth Expo

4:30 p.m.: Roquemore & Kuznkowski (singing Pepsi Community comedy) Stage

4:30 p.m.: Alphabet Soup Puppeteers Children’s Dell

5-9 p.m.: Russell Reynolds: Cabochons Gems & Minerals

5:30 p.m.: Breeze 105.5-FM welcomes Exotic Porker Flats Animal Encounter

5:30 p.m.: Rainbow Magic Show Children’s Dell

5:30 p.m.: Hypnotist Susan Rosen Pepsi Community Stage

5:30 p.m.: Fresh Choices for America Star Stage (children’s dance)

6 p.m.: Barn Talk: Ben McNary & Hank, Uncle Leo’s Barn His Racking Horse

6:30 p.m.: Roquemore & Kuznkowski (singing Pepsi Community comedy) Stage

6:30 p.m.: Steven Lord (guitarist-vocalist) Youth Expo

7 p.m.: Talk of Da Town (a cappella R&B;) Star Stage

7 p.m.: Hypnotist Susan Rosen Pepsi Community Stage

7 p.m.: Open Sheep Division Exhibitors Clark Pavilion

7:30 p.m.: KHAY-FM (100.7) welcomes Tracy Byrd Grandstand Arena with special guest star Gil Grand

7:30 p.m.: Karaoke (Jr. Fair Board) Pepsi Community Stage

9 p.m.: Talk of Da Town (a cappella R&B;) Star Stage

9:30 p.m.: Fireworks

10 p.m.: Exhibit buildings close

11 p.m. Commercial building closes