Planting the Seeds

Since it opened in 1992, the Centennial Farm at the Orange County Fair & Exposition Center in Costa Mesa has surprised many fairground employees.

“We expected the animals to be the big attraction,” said Becky Bailey-Findley, general manager of the fairgrounds, where the 3.5-acre working farm is open most of the year. “We were surprised to find that it’s much more than a petting zoo. Children and adults enjoy the crops just as much as the animals.”

The farm features rows of raised beds filled with a variety of standard and not-so-standard fruits, vegetables and grains. Visitors can point to giant pumpkins as well as tiny peanuts. There is a section of rare-fruit trees, cared for by the Orange County Rare Fruit Growers. The trees include banana, pomelo, kumquat, pineapple and papaya. Also sprouting up are watermelons, garlic, barley and oats.

To tie into the Orange County Fair, which runs through July 30, and its “Hot! Hot! Hot! We’re Spicin’ It Up” theme, the farm has a salsa garden, which contains chile peppers, cilantro, onions and tomatoes.

“We’ve found that visitors love walking through the garden,” Bailey-Findley said. “Not only is it interesting to see the various crops, there’s something peaceful about passing by the plants. You can almost feel them grow, and it gives you a sense that all is right with the world.”

The farm is also an educational experience that benefits everyone, she said. “It teaches about ecology, conservation, respect for animals and an understanding of where our food and fiber come from.”

Educational signs at the end of each crop row explain what each crop is, its origins and uses.

The living things of the animal variety on this farm include peacocks, piglets, llamas, rabbits, chickens, sheep and horses.

The newly opened Millennium barn, a 47-foot-high replica of a historic California barn, houses cow-milking demonstrations during the fair at 4, 6 and 8 p.m.

Thousands visit during the fair, but more than 65,000 schoolchildren come throughout the year, said Sally Frei, a University of California master gardener and farm volunteer.

“It’s a terrific way for them to learn about agriculture,” she said. “They get to hold baby chicks and plant radish seeds.”

An all-day class for fifth-graders shows them how to test soil, milk a cow, churn butter, shear a sheep and card wool--which involves combing out fibers to make thread.

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Fair, Farm Schedule

* Centennial Farm is at the Orange County Fair & Exposition Center, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. It can be visited during the Orange County Fair through July 30. Monday-Wednesday, noon-midnight; Thursday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-midnight. Fair admission is $2 to $6.

* The farm is also open September-June. Monday-Friday, 1-4 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

* Call (714) 708-1619 or visit https://www .ocfair.com for more information.