Going to the LA County Fair

The LA County Fair is the most exciting in Southern California during the late summer and early fall. Surprisingly, I went to the LA County Fair several years ago, and it was quite fun. My friend invited me to come with her family because it has always been a tradition for them to go to the LA County Fair around her birthday. She grew up in Pomona, so when the LA County Fair comes it is a must-see tradition, even if this means driving two hours from Lake Arrowhead in morning rush hour traffic to be there on opening day! I must say the LA County Fair has something for everyone and is affordable entertainment for the entire family. However, you may want to take your snacks if you have kids and do want to pay fair food prices, nevertheless, the fair does have a variety of activities. So if you are able the go to the LA County Fair this year I encourage you to check it out!

Back when I went to the LA County Fair in 2007, I was trying to figure out why everyone was standing in line was holding dollar bills, and then my friend told me because admission is only one dollar on the first day. To be more precise, admission is only one dollar on the first day before five o'clock, but this is a great deal for those who would like to take the entire family and save a little bit of money. When I went with my friend last year, she wanted to go to the fair on the first day, but she had to take her son out of school to do this and said she would not want to do that again. The first day of the fair has already passed, but hopefully next year you can get in on the discounted prices. This weekend it will be seventeen dollars for adults, twelve dollars for children under twelve, and free admission for all youngsters under six. At least your little ones in the strollers will get in for free!

There are many educational exhibits at the LA County Fair, so your child will not be just eating junk food and running from ride to ride. Even if they they eat junk food try loosen up at the fair because it only comes around once a year! Some of these exhibits are made by school children such as art, history, and scientific projects. Adults have a great deal of pride when they are able to enter a pies, pickles, or a piece of art in a fair competition, so it is that much more meaningful when children can participate too. Also, it is great when a child's family is able to visit the exhibit and share their achievement. When you go to the fair do not forget to visit educational exhibits made by students.

The fair also has other exhibits which I found very bizarre, such as the house of trash. The house is entirely constructed out of trash, but it is supposed to representative the average amount a trash an American household disposes of each year. This house makes you want to think about recycling more often, which is something you should be doing anyway.

Another exhibit that I especially liked is dedicated to fire fighters, which happen to be some of my personal heroes after my family's house has survived two fires in the last eight years. This exhibit allows children to dress up as firefighters and play with fire equipment and may even inspire a few young minds to start a career in fire sciences. There are so many exhibits to see, but this just happens to be one of my favorites.

I admit it! I am an animal lover and enjoy the petting zoo just as much as the kids do. However, the petting zoo is great fun for the entire family and do not forget to take fun pictures of the animals. When I was younger my mom invented a game where we had to identify how many goats, sheep, etc. My favorite pass-time is letting the animals feed right out of the palm of my hand, and how many times do you actually get to say did that?! Usually only at petting zoos.

So the petting zoo is not your cup of tea? Spend the day hanging out at the racetrack and take in the ambiance of this event. My friend, her son, her mom, and I wandered around the fair when her dad spent the day betting on the horses. Of course he did not go crazy doing this and this is not recommended for people with gambling addictions, but it can be fun for those who know how to set limits. Also, I heard he won two hundred dollars that day, so it could not be all that bad for only having betting fifty dollars. Betting on races is not my interest, but this just goes to show there are many things at the LA County Fair that will accommodate everyone. This year the race track will only be open until September 22 and it will be closed on Tuesdays, so plan accordingly.

Funnel cakes are one of my all time favorites and I enjoyed the ones I tried at the LA County Fair last year. However, I must admit that I was at one time I was an expert at making patches of funnels cakes because sometimes are family liked to have breakfast for dinner. Do you enjoy breakfast for lunch and dinner? If so, fair food such as funnel cakes topped with strawberries and whipped cream may be for you. Of course for health reasons I do not eat funnel cakes every day and I rarely make these anymore, but I must always sample one at the fair. Pizza is another one of my favorite fair foods and for some reason pizza and garlic bread always taste better at the fair!

Do not forget about all the vendors and wonderful shopping you can do at the fair. There are all sorts of vendors from: house appliances, purses, hot tubs, cars, arts and crafts, you name it and I saw it at the fair. Keep in mind LA County is the most populace county in the United States, so many people come to the fair on the first day with the low prices and the large number of people living within driving distance. I have sciatica so this was somewhat of an issue for me, but I was bumped a few times in the vendors exhibit area because this was the most congested part of the fair, so be careful if standing for long periods of time aggravates your legs, if you have back problems, or if you are slightly cloister phobic. I never used to be cloister phobic, but ever since my back injury I can be in excruciating pain if someone accidentally bumps into me. People do not do this on purpose, but crowds are to be expected in LA County in particular and Southern California in general.

Nevertheless, besides that I am not complaining because I love Southern California. Where else can you be within two hours driving distance from fairs, beaches, mountains, deserts, museums, and more? The LA County Fair is also a great venue for aspiring artists who may want to set up a booth with their merchandise. Last year I bought the most beautiful pair of dream catcher earrings, but I have a penchant for dream catchers in general, so to me it was very special. Not to mention five dollars was a great deal for a pair of hand-crafted earrings. We left before six, but during the evening there is a concert for those who are yearning for some more adult oriented entertainment. Enjoy the fair and I hope you were able attend the first day when admission was only a dollar. On the weekend prices go up!