All That’s Fair

Each summer, the Orange County Fair brings together an assemblage of awe-inspiring oddities designed to amaze and excite both young and old. A look at the eclectic collection of sights, smells and sounds that make up this year’s fair:

The Grand Ferris Wheel scrapes the sky at 112 feet tall

Popcorn the Flying Chihuahua perches perilously before diving into a pool 10 feet below

The 10,000 ears of corn-on-the-cob sold annually stretches 8 times up and down the Empire State Building

A 25-cent Footsie Wootsie lasts two relaxing minutes, one of the cheapest thrills at the fair

Weighing in at nearly 1 1/2 tons, the giant Belgian Draft sports an 8-inch-wide horseshoe

Win big on the midway and walk away with an 8-foot-long plush snake

The jiggling gelatin record for Jell-O tossing stands at a shaky 8 feet

A fistful of food comes skewered on a stick (16 at last count), including cheesecake and jalapeno cheese

Any Bazooka Joe could blow a bigger bubble than the current record - 5 inches

Which came first? The chicken that laid a record 104 eggs during the 1999 fair

Charo--need we say more? (Performs July 27)

The Scoville Scale judges the heat of peppers on a scale of 0 to 600,000:

Bell - 0-100

Anaheim - 500-1,000

Jalapeno - 2,500-5,000

Serrano - 5,000-20,000

Cayenne - 30,000-50,000

Thai - 50,000-100,000

Habanero - 100,000-350,000

Red Savina - 350,000-600,000

Carny Lingo - The language of midway roustabouts

Grab Joint - Food stand

Flat Store - Game stand

Flash - Prizes used to dress up a joint

Grind - Spiel before a game meant to entice patrons

Turn the Tip - Convincing would-be patrons to try a game

Trouper - Veteran carny

Jackpots - Trouper stories of past escapades

Sloughing - Tearing down carnival rides

Source: Ruby Lau, Orange County Fair

Graphics reporting by BRADY MacDONALD / Los Angeles Times