Farewell to the O.C. fair

Shawn Jewelinski pounded his drums Sunday in front of a packed crowd like there was no tomorrow.

And there was no tomorrow -- for the Orange County Fair, that is.

So it was only the Heritage stage, which seats no more than 300 at the fair, but that didn’t seem to matter to the 14-year-old Yorba Linda boy.

He gave the crowd a drum solo worthy of an arena rock concert, taking the audience on a minute-plus journey of changing tempos and rhythms.

“I like the loudness of it,” Shawn said. “I like everything about playing.”

Seems like everyone was in the mood for playing at the fair’s last day. The Fiesta del Charro and the Flying U Rodeo returned for its third year at the fair. The group, known for its trick-style riding and roping, entertained crowds that poured out of the 5,500 seats provided, causing security to send some latecomers away.

The show offered a strong feel of its origins in Mexico, with announcers in both English and Spanish, horse dancing, drill teams and old-style traditional riding.

- Sam Williams, 7, rode a small bull clad in a protective helmet and other gear. Although thrown from the animal, nothing could dim Sam’s pride as he rode in honor of his dad who is serving in Iraq.

Attendance at this year’s fair may have stumbled a bit, too, failing to reach the one million mark as it did last year, but the event’s popularity seemed alive and well in the packed walkways of the fair at 4 p.m. Sunday when Shawn’s band Silent Generations took the stage.

The band was one of four from the Orange County Music Academy to perform for the final day of fried food, bucking broncos and carnival rides. Each band was formed only a month earlier as an assignment from the academy’s instructors.

“Every year our teachers recommend students to be a band,” said Samantha Tagloa, 16, who played the drums for the unnamed band that performed before Silent Generations. Most of the students never played together before practicing for the fair.

Samantha and her musical mates, though, are old hands at jamming. She previously performed with fellow band mates, An, 17, and Khoa Ngo, 21. The brothers from Anaheim have played together as long as they can remember.

“I’m always around [my brother],” Khoa Ngo said. “We still live in the same house.”

Most of the other musicians came together as a matter of teacher’s choice.

In bassist Joe Medina’s case he may have never learned to play at all if not for a freak accident.

The 17-year-old was walking through the Guitar Center in Fountain Valley with a friend when one of the bass guitars fell off the wall and broke his ankle, Joe said.

“They gave me the bass for free,” Joe said. “While my ankle was broken I mostly sat around home and practiced.”

Shawn’s band sounded like they had played together for years, covering tracks from Van Halen, Metallica and Led Zeppelin with ease and enjoyment.

Frontman Mason Robinson stirred up memories of Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant in his prime during “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You.”

But the real crowd pleaser came at the end of the set, as the band finished up Van Halen’s “Hot for Teacher” with Shawn’s daring drum solo.

The words “amazing” and “wow” could be heard over and over again throughout the crowd. That was, of course, after the screams and applause died down.

But for now, like the fair, the two bands will have to call it quits and focus elsewhere. To be continued, until next summer.

FROM THE FAIR

Saturday’s attendance as of 6 p.m.: 68,968

Sunday’s: 43,369

Total attendance at this year’s fair as of 6 p.m. Sunday: 898,337