To the Midway and Beyond

The vision flamed in Larry Sippel’s mind like a fiery jalapeno. He saw yellow, green and red peppers, dancing and leaping. Some wore earrings and others played musical instruments.

As creator of the 2000 Orange County Fair’s nifty cartoon logo of festive chile peppers, Sippel knows when he’s got a good theme. And this year’s, “Hot! Hot! Hot! A Salute to the Pepper Industry” has bite.

Themes are crucial to the fair’s success, Sippel said. Organizers take months to stir up a creative, new concept. “The theme pulls everything together,” said Sippel, a commercial artist and advertising consultant from Escondido. Sippel has handled the fair’s logo designs, radio and television promotions for 17 years.

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Coming up with a new theme each year is a three-month process that begins in August for a team of 25 staff and board members.

The theme is often tied to livestock or produce, reflecting the fair’s mission to promote agricultural education.

The fair’s creative staff--and their children--pitch ideas.

“The theme is such a fun part of the planning that we get solicited and unsolicited suggestions,” said Becky Bailey-Findley, the fair’s CEO general manager.

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Once a concept is approved, Sippel makes his sketches and punsters make “hot” words sizzle. The theme is then implemented into every aspect of the fair, such as contests, entertainment, competitions and special exhibits. It’s also used on the Centennial Farm, a 3 1/2-acre patch of the fairgrounds open year-round to school children on field trips.

Organizers introduced the theme concept in 1927 with “Old Time County Fair” when the celebration was a reflection of the community.

The theme this year highlights Orange County’s connection to the pepper industry.

Bailey-Findley said fair themes are more important for the staff than the public.

“We like having that creative energy at work. It’s motivational.” The fair has seen its share of memorable themes, such as the bug chef from 1996’s “Best Pickin’s in California” and “We’re Puttin’ a Bug in Your Ear,” a salute to agriculture and insects.

And there was 1997’s combined theme of “We’re Goin’ Tropical” and “Nuttin’ But Fun” as a salute to fish, fruits and nuts.

“It may seem like an odd combination, but we had a lot of people who remember that year,” Bailey-Findley said. “The staff embraced it and we did a lot of theming in our uniforms with Hawaiian shirts. We also noticed fair-goers were wearing their tropical outfits. The attendance was also high that year.”

Fair organizers insist the themes have improved over the years. For instance, in 1959, “Better Living Through Agriculture, Industrial and Educational Living” was not a catchy concept.

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Today’s fair themes have to be punchy to play on radio and television. Still, some are so corny they evoke a wince.

Take 1987’s “Don’t Miss the Egg-Citement: A salute to poultry and egg industries” or 1994’s “Saddle Up for Fun: A salute to horses and hay.”

Or how about “Very Berry Extraordinary: A salute to pigs and strawberries” from 1990, in which the poster art showed a giant strawberry with a proud pig in farmer’s overalls? And who could forget 1998 when fair-goers saw sheep in pink zoot suits and the theme, “We’re in the Pink: A salute to fuchsias and fiber arts”?

In hindsight Sippel and fair organizers chuckle when they recall some themes of old.

“Well, when I was a kid the theme was Hawaiian holidays from 1960 to 1967,” Bailey-Findley said. In those days, fairs didn’t have much to contend with as the place for family entertainment. But today, with movies and malls, getting the word out is crucial, organizers say. And, few fairs theme with the flair that Orange County does.

“We’ve got to try because if we don’t, then we’d go back to those Hawaiian Days of the ‘60s,” Bailey-Findley said.