Los Angeles County Fair

It's September again, and it's that time of the year for a month-long celebration of the Los Angeles County Fair.

I never been to one yet since I moved here in Los Angeles in 2000 from Texas but I've been to some rodeo shows and county fairs before when I was still living in McAllen, Texas.

So for this year, I am planning to go to one of the fair's concert on September 25 or 26. I might watch Ms. Donna Summer or Ciara if I would be able to squeeze my time well enough to accommodate my plans. Hopefully, I would and will love to watch one of those.

I heard it from one of my co-worker that the fair was so much fun. I remember when I was little when we have an annual fiesta at my hometown in the Philippines where we have a lot of carnival rides and magic shows as well as various gaming nooks and shacks to boot.

I would like to share this article from Los Angeles times which explains what one fair participant expects in going to experience during the month long event. Here it goes:
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FAIR-FLUNG FUN, RIDES AND EATS by Alie Ward (as featured in Los Angeles Times)

"We've had people faint and fall on the ground; we've had people throw up...." starts Sky Shivers, manager of the Big Red Barn at the Los Angeles County Fair. He is describing various Southern Californians' reactions to watching a live cow birth. "We've had mothers shield their children's eyes and drag them out of the pen."

Starting Saturday and running through October 4 the LA County Fair is expected to lure roughly 70,000 people a day to Pomona Fairplex for carnival rides, funnel cakes, live music and acres of sawdusty attractions including pig races, chicken hatchings, mini ponies, baby bunnies and new exhibits dedicated to the goat meat industry.

"I've been to many other fairs," Shivers says, explaining what makes LA County Fair unique. "Here, there's more exhibits of what we call 'edutainment', where you enjoy watching something you don't normally get to see and you're also being educated."

This year's fair is also a draw for holiday thrift-seekers opting for a "staycation," says the fair's vice president of creative programming, Dale Coleman.

"The value message this year is huge," Coleman explains. The "promotions" page of the fair's website is a glut of bargains including coupons offered by local retailers and discounts for Dodgers fans and city employees. Early birds arriving between 10 am and 1 pm this Labor Dau weekend can get in for $1, rather than the usual $17 sdult ticket price. Saving money on admission means a better excuse to disobey your cardiologist at the fair's labyrinth of food stalls.

Hawking chocolate-covered bacon, frog legs, and turkey drumsticks fit for a caveman, the fair celebrates not only the harvest, but the end of bikini season. Chicken Charlie, innovator of culinary aberrations such as deep-fried Twinkies and batter-dipped Spam, is a living legend at the Fairplex. But it's not all nutrirional nightmares. The Farmhouse Kitchen stages demos on preparing fresh and healthful produce, and the LA International Wine and Spirits Market place invites fair goers to swirl and sniff varietals during daily tastings.

The fair midway fetaures a tangle of roller coasters and a 16-storey Ferris wheel, but those seeking less visceral thrills can stroll through the new animamotrinic dinosaur show, catch a monster truck bout or watch pirate-themed trapeze acts. The fair's End of Summer concert series includes entertainers as varied as Peter Frampton, Good Charlotte, the Beach Boys, LeAnn Rimes, Ms. Donna Summer, hiphop darling Ciara, and Ms. Pat Benatar.

Soul legend Al Green kicks it off with a performance on the opening day. Gree, a veteran of the Hollywood Bowl and the Greek Theater, says of the expected crowd, "LA is the entertainment capital of the world and a lot of those same people that make Hollywood tick are coming out to the fair. And LA is going to do what LA does." he adds, "and that's just go nuts."
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Ahaha...... these are the wide arrays of things I can expect to do during the fair. A week of happenings had gone by and my friend from work already went there twice. She bragged about her experiences there and I seem feel jealous about it.

I needed to set aside some time in order to come one of these days. I can't wait to experience how to be in a county fair. Maybe it will be nice to be a kid again and enjoy a day at the LA County Fair.

As what Mr. Al Green had said, "It will just go nuts."