L.A. County Fair Opens, Promising a ‘Kinder, Simpler, Funner’ Visit

For those who are young enough to know who Sir Topham Hat is, country enough to swing to the tunes of Toby Keith or old enough to place a bet on Way to the Top, today’s opening of the 79th edition of the Los Angeles County Fair offers at least one recreational outlet.

But really, there are 487 acres and thousands of things to see, touch, eat, marvel over and, of course, buy, at the fair, expected to attract more than 1.2 million visitors over the next 17 days and nights.

This year’s theme is “Kinder, Simpler, Funner.” True, funner is not a real word and the fair people know it. They just thought it would be fun to make up a word and “funner” sounded better.

In keeping with the Americana of it all, fair spokeswoman Wendy Talarico encourages visitors to take a break from their cell phones and pagers to “visit with an animal, eat great food, go on rides and spend time with your family.”

And chances are, if you attend on a bustling weekend when crowds are surging and activity is peaking, you wouldn’t hear the cell phone ring anyway.

For a calmer fair experience, Talarico said, visitors should attend on weekdays or evenings, when the crowds are down and parking is kinder, simpler and funner.

The L.A. County Fair evolved from a commercial-industrial show first held along the Southern Pacific railroad lines in downtown Pomona in 1921. Flushed with success, the local businessmen launched the inaugural Los Angeles County Fair in 1922.

It has grown into a self-supporting, nonprofit corporation and is not connected to county government. The Los Angeles County Fair Assn. deeded the Pomona fairgrounds to the county in 1948 and now has a long-term lease to use the site. Like many a Southern California landmark, a towering freeway sign announces its location. (San Bernardino Freeway, Fairplex exit). Follow the arrows.

Since the 1980s, more than $84 million has been invested in building renovations and improvements. Every year, the cavernous pavilions play host to new exhibits that blend education and entertainment--and sometimes just plain silliness. Take, for instance, today’s water balloon toss contest and butter churning competition.

This year a Castle of Magic Discoveries is packed with illusions, morphing mirrors, dragons, gargoyles and dancing waters, and a theater featuring a chemistry and physics show.

If the potent smells of the petting zoo and livestock exhibits become overwhelming in the late summer heat, visitors can take a deep breath inside the cool “Fragrances of France” flower and garden pavilion, complete with a replica of the Eiffel Tower.

Children can take an Island Adventure in their own kids’ pavilion, where explorers can enjoy crafts and games and see a model of an erupting volcano. They can search for a hidden treasure, dress up like a pirate or learn how to cook a meal in a galley.

When hunger strikes, the famished can dine on an international array of foods, including Greek, Italian and Mexican, and snack on cinnamon-roasted almonds and all the old standbys: hot dogs, burgers, fries, lemonade and funnel cake.

And for the record, Sir Topham Hat is a character in the children’s Thomas the Tank Engine series, Toby Keith is the current Academy of Country Music male vocalist of the year (his fair concert is sold out) and Way to the Top is a racehorse.