For Dolphins, Fair’s No Day at the Beach

They may be the most famous colorful dolphins in Ventura County, but don’t think that makes the job any easier.

Each day during the 12-day run of the Ventura County Fair, Duke and Dolly Dolphin shake hands, give hugs and pose for pictures with scores of fairgoers.

But being a dolphin--even a people-sized, blue-furred version of one--isn’t easy in Ventura. Duke and Dolly must endure oppressive heat in thick costumes while wearing ice-packed vests, welcoming fairgoers who sometimes kick, scream or even punch the pair.

“They’re the official fair greeters,” said Vanessa Webster-Smith, who coordinates special events for the fair. “They bring life to the park--sort of like Mickey Mouse.”

As the fair comes to an end today, the mammalian mascots look forward to being out of costume, although cloudier weather this weekend has made the 3 1/2 hours of daily walking more bearable. Temperatures today are expected to be in the mid- to upper 70s.

But expect big crowds with the cooler climes.

“I would come early,” said fair spokeswoman Teri Raley. “It’s a day with a huge variety of entertainment.”

The stages may be full of acts, but Duke and Dolly Dolphin, part of the fair’s paid staff, will continue braving the streets of the fairgrounds, ready for anything from devastating heat to rambunctious youngsters.

“I like the little kids--to see the smiles on their faces,” said Beverly Farlough, who plays Dolly.

But the kids aren’t always smiling. Sometimes they cry, kick and pull off parts of Duke’s and Dolly’s costumes.

“It makes me a little mad when they put their hands out and then start crying,” said Cody Gilmer, a 14-year-old Camarillo High School student who plays Duke.

To ensure the safety of the 10 fair characters--including Too Too Tomato, a pig and a cow--security guards escort them at all times.

Tom Barber is one of a handful of escorts charged with dolphin protection. Although the job usually involves nothing more than peeling an overzealous kid off Duke or Dolly, sometimes it calls for more.

A few days into this year’s fair, a woman who was filling in as Dolly was hit in the face by a teenage girl. She wasn’t seriously hurt.

“There’s going to be some people that just mess with them,” Webster-Smith said.

Risk of injury aside, Barber must also make sure the dolphins stick together as they are pulled at by groups of kids. He takes his job seriously, saying time and again, “You guys gotta stay together.”

And as confused parents point out the “penguins” to their children, Barber quickly informs them that they are, in fact, dolphins.

Fair officials must also make sure Duke and Dolly don’t overheat, especially with this year’s high temperatures. A soft sea breeze can’t penetrate the heavy artificial fibers.

So Duke and Dolly walk for half an hour, then sit in an air-conditioned trailer for an equal length of time.

During the afternoon, they often wear vests packed with ice under their teal suits.

“We do try to look out for their health,” Webster-Smith said.

Despite their trials, Farlough and Cody see plenty of smiles out of a small slit that also lets in air. Some kids are fearless, running into the dolphins’ fuzzy flippers. Others are shy, taking their time to approach the hot fish out of water.

Three-year-old Danielle Crane of San Diego fell in love with Duke and Dolly the moment she saw them. As the dolphins walked past her on Main Street, she broke away from her parents and ran toward the duo to say hello.

“He shaked my hand and the other one hugged me,” Danielle said. “I like them.”

Almost everyone does. But no one is quite sure where Duke and Dolly came from, although if Raley were forced to invent a history for them, she would imagine that they are best friends who know everything about each other.

“They’ve grown up together,” she said. “They’ve known each other all their lives.”

Although Farlough and Cody haven’t known each other that long, they have become fast friends.

Diplomats of the fair, they know how to treat each kid who says hello. When a youngster is apprehensive but wants to give her a hug or shake her hand, Farlough delicately edges closer.

“You don’t want them to have a bad impression of a stuffed animal,” Farlough said.

They seem to take their roles seriously.

“It’s weird when I go on my lunch break and I think I still have my suit on and I wave at kids by accident,” Cody said.

Webster-Smith said Cody and Farlough make a good team, one of the best she has seen since Duke and Dolly became the fair mascots four years ago.

“I think it takes a lot of courage to get in a costume and walk around for 30 minutes and smile,” she said. “It takes a special person.”

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Today at the Fair

Here’s a look at what’s happening at the Ventura County Fair today:

* Seaside Park opens 11 a.m.

SUNDAY, AUG.16

9 a.m.: 4-H Awards Ceremony Clark Pavilion

11 a.m.: Seaside Park Opens

All Day: Carriage, Draft & Friesian Horse Show Morgan Arena

All Day: 3rd Annual Cheerleading Competition Star Stage

11 a.m.-6 p.m.: Turtle & Tortoise Show Fishes & Friends

11 a.m.: Greenway Academy dance Pepsi Community Stage

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

11:30 a.m.: Rainbow Magic Show Children’s Dell

11:30 a.m.: Too Too Tomato Strolling

Noon: Youth Expo Awards Youth Expo

Noon: Duke & Dolly Dolphin Strolling

Noon: FFA Awards Clark Pavilion

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

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

12:30 p.m.: Gene West’s Wonderful Working Toys Youth Expo in Wood

1 p.m.: Crosscut (top 40 music) Pepsi Community Stage

1 p.m.: Spinners & Weavers: fiber dying Agriculture

1 p.m.: Stick Horse Barrel Racing Porker Flats

1 p.m.: Cletus Bumpus & The Other Guys Pepsi Community (Country-bluegrass) Stage

1:30 p.m.: Alphabet Soup Puppeteers Children’s Dell

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

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

2 p.m.: The Flying U PRCA Rodeo Grandstand Arena featuring “A Salute To Mexico”

2 p.m.: Balloonacy Strolling

2 p.m.: Mime Mark Wenzel Strolling

2-10 p.m.: Cheri Scarbrough: Handmade Beads Gems & Minerals

2 p.m.: Goat Fitting Contest Clark Pavilion

2:30 p.m.: Rainbow Magic Show Children’s Dell

2:30 p.m.: Horse Show continues Morgan Arena

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

3 p.m.: City of Ventura Cultural Arts Pepsi Community Stage

3 p.m.: Barn Talk Uncle Leo’s Barn

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

3:30 p.m.: Too Too Tomato Children’s Dell

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

4 p.m.: Egg Toss (Jr. Fair Board) Agriculture

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

4:30-10 p.m.: Cheri Scarbrough: Handmade Beads Gems & Minerals

5 p.m.: Terry Sue Crawford Band (top 40-Country) Pepsi Community Stage

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

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

6:30 p.m.: Vocal Chords (Barbershop Harmonies) Pepsi Community Stage

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

7 p.m.: The Flying U PRCA Rodeo Grandstand Arena featuring “A Salute To Mexico”

7 p.m.: Johnny Counterfit (Impressionist) Star Stage

7:30 p.m.: Vocal Chords (Barbershop harmonies) Pepsi Community Stage

7:30-10 p.m.: Cheri Scarbrough: Handmade Beads Gems & Minerals

8:30 p.m.: Vocal Chords (Barbershop harmonies) Pepsi Community Stage

9 p.m.: Johnny Counterfit (Impressionist) Star Stage

9:30 p.m.: Fireworks

10 p.m.: Exhibit & Commercial Buildings close