‘99 O.C. Fair to Salute Gold Rush, Farming
This year, the Orange County Fair saluted fuchsias and fibers. Next year, it will be grains and gold.
Though the fair just ended Sunday, organizers are already planning for next summer.
A motto--this year it was “We’re in the Pink--”is still being developed, a spokeswoman said.
The grains and gold fair theme would coincide with a celebration of California history, including the Gold Rush and the rise in farming and agriculture.
The fair is sanctioned by the state to hold official events that recognize 150 years of statehood.
Also, the 1999 fair will mark 50 years in Costa Mesa. In 1949, the event moved to a former Army base from a site in Santa Ana.
Before that, the fair had been at sites in Anaheim and Huntington Beach. The first county fair was in 1890.
This year, attendance was the second highest in the history of the event: 723,061.
The record was set in 1997, with 785,000 visitors.
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