L.A. County Fair Is Open for Fun

To those who have been coming to the Los Angeles County Fair for decades, it has evolved from a barnyard attraction of yesteryear into a hip, edgy and commercialized wonder.

But although these devoted fairgoers fondly remember the old-fashioned version, many find a definite appeal to the eclectic and growing mix of booths and exhibits that flaunt hot tubs, pool tables and closet-size security vaults.

“I like to see what’s new. The old-fashioned stuff is nice, but so is the modern stuff,” said Chrysa Edmiston, 66, of Hesperia, who has come annually to the fair in Pomona for more than 30 years.

She was among the first through the gates Friday on opening day. Many of the hundreds streaming through the gates made a beeline for the food booths beckoning patrons to try diet-busting fare such as “monster onion rings” and “hoggly woggly Cajun fries,” or booths peddling sunglasses and T-shirts. Carnival rides and the animal barn had to be a little more patient for visitors.

“The animals -- well, it’s not my first stop,” said Jim Estrada, 57, a nurse anesthetist from Alta Loma who has been attending since the 1960s. “After I eat, if I still have energy, then I go. We buy a lot of stuff: tools, kitchen gadgets, furniture, decorative items. It’s gotten a lot more commercial, but I like that.”

With 2,000 vendors, the fair bills itself as the largest marketplace west of the Mississippi, having attracted about 1.3 million visitors annually for the last five years.

“She’s buying me my birthday present: a pool table,” said Robert Saunders, a heavy equipment operator from Whittier, while nudging his wife, Michelle, as she rolled her eyes. But first he was heading for a booth selling the latest outlandish taste treat. “Deep-fried avocado,” he said, smacking his lips. “I want to find out what that’s about.”

Fair spokeswoman Wendy Talarico said fairs have had to reinvent themselves to keep up with changing tastes, but traditional rural arts are still an important part of the Pomona extravaganza.

“The fair is one of the few places where your kids can come face to face with a cow or a pig or a zonkey,” a cross between a zebra and a donkey, she said. “We bring 85,000 school kids here free of charge. It’s so they can learn where milk comes from, that it isn’t from a carton.”

In the Big Red Barn, where sleek sheep and friendly goats frolic in faux pastures as penned horses and cows pace languidly nearby, visitors can take in a display of working dogs, a nursery where live births can be witnessed, and a demonstration of veterinary medicine.

Nearby is a large pavilion with exhibits of traditional crafts such as baking, quilting and jam making. “We’re having knitting parties so people can learn how to knit,” Talarico said. “The fair is about the only place you can enter your cakes and pies or win a blue ribbon.”

But less farmer-ish fare is the biggest draw. There’s a Tahitian tropical oasis that dominates the garden pavilion with perfect specimens of exotic flowers and lush ferns. In the cavernous children’s building is a “Time Machine” exhibit of eras visitors have read about in history books, replete with dinosaur egg relays and a caveman contest.

SportsFest celebrates the professional athlete with a hall filled with memorabilia, hands-on demonstrations of ball-playing techniques, and historical displays.

A featured event this weekend, Talarico said, is “Flavors of the Far East,” a food festival serving up Asian cuisine of every description with dancing, singing and other cultural entertainment.

The fair runs through Oct. 2. Gates open at 11 a.m. Wednesday through Friday and at 10 a.m. on weekends. It closes at 10 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, midnight Fridays and Saturdays, and 10 p.m. Sundays. The fair is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

Admission is $10 for adults on weekdays and $15 on weekends; children 6 to 12 pay $6 on weekdays and $8 on weekends; those 5 and younger are admitted free.