My Town Monday: Del Mar Fair
First off, thanks to everyone who participated in last Thursday's Summer Recipe Round-Up. The recipes look scrumptious!
My Town Monday is devoted today to the Del Mar Fair. Which I guess is really the San Diego County Fair, but because it's located at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, many call it the Del Mar Fair.
Tidbits about our fair:
The Fair runs for 21 days, ending the weekend of July 4th. The Fair was born in 1880. In the 1930s, racetrack betting was used to help fund the Fair. That tradition continues today. During WWII, the Fairgrounds were used to train and house military personnel. And parts for the B17 Flying Fortress Bomber were manufactured here. In 1958, Raquel Tejada, a local woman was crowned Fairest of the Fair. She later changed her name to....RAQUEL WELCH!
More Fair Trivia:
Over 1,154,868 people visited the Fair this year. I stood in line with many of them.
All 41 kids who were lost at the Fair were reunited with their families. I managed to keep track of all my kids, even the Ever-Wandering-Always-Goes-Missing Child #3. I am deeply grateful to Verizon.
Several pairs of prescription glasses remain unclaimed. Hmmm....It would obviously be wise to get a back-up pair of glasses before I go to Canada this summer. Who's to say my one pair won't topple off the CN Tower or jump overboard from the ferry to Centre Island or slip off my nose and get smashed to smithereens on the subway tracks?
Some pictures from our Fair visit last week:
Naturally, a trip to the Fair is not complete without a trip down Cholesterol Lane. Yes, we tried deep-fried twinkies. We now have a shelf-life of 25 years.
I have a child up at the top. Negligent parenting?
Slightly more responsible parenting.
A big fat honking slab of fudge. A very photographed guy.
Little Miss Piggy who, the day following our visit, went to market via the livestock auction. No doubt she's arriving soon to our grocery store's meat section.
The San Diego County Fair. Ahhh. A good time was had by all.
Info for this post came from: http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/07/06/news/coastal/del_mar/ze7abf476c44c9c6d8825747e0081f4a5.txt,http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/07/01/news/coastal/del_mar/zd9862d68375062d68825747a000d764a.txt,http://www.sdfair.com/fair/index.php?fuseaction=fair.home
Thank you Travis Erwin for organizing My Town Monday. Please check out Travis's site for a post on some interesting Texas Panhandle flora and fauna trivia AND for the link to the other My Town Mondayers.
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Fairs are a real slice of American life, aren't they---complete with fried grease on a stick!
ReplyDeletefairs just make me think "small town" and "summer".
ReplyDeletewe used to have a fair every year at our high school, with rides and games and stuff...it was always fun. The last night, there would be a big parade and firworks....I miss that.
Seriously??? Over a million people???? Are you freaking kidding me????? I would have a heart attack. I can't stand crowds as it is, but a MILLION????? Lord woman, you are BRAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteBut, glad you had a great time and you kept track of the kids!
so, 'trawna' is on your hit list, eh? ;) lol
ReplyDeletehave fun... but would it not be more hectic to go during the cne [candaian national exhibition], later in the year, or is that on the menu now?
The fair sounds like so much fun, but Bina is right, that's a lot of people. (Says she who lives in NYC, pop. eight million plus!
ReplyDeleteTerrie
Out local fair is in the fall but it is really pretty crummy these days. THANKS for volunteering to be the linkmaster for next week. I'll get the word out.
ReplyDeletedeep fried twinkies?! my arteries are clogging just thinking about it. :)
ReplyDeleteOver 100 thousand people. My goodness. I don't think I could handle the crowds.
ReplyDeleteOur state fair is at the end of the summer. I have never attended it. Does that make me unAmerican? Or is it just I hate crowds?
ReplyDeleteJust so you guys don't think I'm totally nuts, there were 1,154,868 people over the course of the 3 weeks that the fair was open. And, honestly? I don't really like crowds. But the fair is one of those things you do for the kids. Well, except for the deep-fried twinkie. That's for everyone!
ReplyDeleteI used to love those rides where you’re left suspended high in the air. But now I get vertigo. Which leaves me wondering if it’s only suffered by grown-ups...
ReplyDeleteYes, the cell phone must have been invented by a mother attempting to locate the child who always manages to escape.
ReplyDeleteI would love a piece of that fudge right now.
ReplyDeleteThat fair sounds awesome. Ours is always kinda scary. Everyone goes, but the rides always look rusty and unkempt like they may fall apart at any moment.
ReplyDeleteDeep fried Twinkies? I've never had those before.
Thank God for the cellphone, right? It's saved my butt more times than I can count.
Sounds like lots of fun. Glad you enjoyed it.
arghhh... canadian
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing as American as a state fair. I love them. And as a writer who tends toward the dark, there is nothing as ripe for exploitation as a fair. Or a small traveling carnival.
ReplyDeleteThere is something about the drifters who come and go, the flaking signs on the midway, the mysterious figures who hang back and keep to the shadows. There is something about the smell of cotton candy and the sound of laughter veiling a more desparate murmur.
Everything about this post made me miss America -- especially the thought of all of that great (albeit bad for you) food.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I FINALLY got around to posting my recipe . . . a few days too late, I know. Still, there's plenty of summer left -- for ya'll at least. In England, where it was 50 degrees and cold and rainy all weekend, you never know.
I used to go to the Del Mar Fair every year with my kids. I miss it! I think we'll go to the Orange County Fair this year.
ReplyDeleteOk, I gotta ask - do you know where Mackinaw Island (of rhe Mackinaw Island fudge) is? It's a Michigan landmark, and it is awesome!
ReplyDeleteYou can fry a twinkie. Well I've learded sometihng new.
ReplyDeleteMackinaw is just excellent. I'm planning a trip there for later in the year and not only for the fudge. People say there are other things to do there too.
Your fair sounds like fun.
ReplyDeleteToronto has three weeks in August when the Exhibition Grounds open up: amusement rides, different kinds of food and agriculture exhibits. I enjoy the 4-in hand classes: that's a coach pulled by four horses going almost full tilt in a pattern in an enclosed ring.
Fairs - I like the Farmer's Market/Agricultural Show types fairs - FunFairs urgh! Yours looks like a nice mix of the two. I worked out that it had over 50,000 visitors each day. Good grief I feel a panic attack coming on just thinking of it! But as you say it's one of those things you do for the kiddies.
ReplyDeleteSan Diego sounds like a great place to live Barrie. I hope the Tourist Board is aware of the fabulous work you're doing for it.