You know it is getting close if we’re selling carnival tickets! Yes, the big event you’ve all been waiting for, the L.A. County Fair, is approximately 65 days away. And for some of us, ok, most of us, the Carnival is one of the top things we are looking forward. Ray Cammack Shows is back with great rides, food and midway games.

If you purchase your carnival tickets online through Aug. 31, you will receive an extra 10 percent free with your purchase. There are coupon offers to go with the carnival rides available only online. So, don’t wait - get your tickets now for better savings!

” Roll on up, see the main attraction, get your money ready, let’s take a ride.” - All the Fun of the Fair, David Essex

Have you sent in your entry form? What? You haven’t? Well, hurry up! Several entry deadlines for contests at the Fair are looming. Whether you are 8 or 80, we have a contest for you.

America’s Kids is themed Under the Sea - try the decorate a fish contest or the cupcake competition. Deadline is July 6 for your entry to be postmarked so get to it!

Culinary Styles has several different deadlines depending on if you are entering your preserves or best chocolate chip cookies. Check the Web page for more details.

Tapestry, the creative arts arm, has a July 9 deadline - that means now!

It’s cool to win a blue ribbon. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Guys totally dig girls who win blue ribbons.

Wow, we’ve almost met our initial goal of 500 Facebook friends. We’ve grown to 444 fans, a big chunk of those just within the past few days. We need 56 more - once we hit 500, the Los Angeles County Fair Association will donate $500 to the American Red Cross. All you have to do to be a hero and help save lives (the ARC motto for donating blood), is become a fan of the L.A. County Fair - we’ll do the rest!

 C”mon, what are you waiting for?

Here is some Street Team news from our Fair Street Team Boss Kristy D (aka The Senator):

 The Fair is sure coming up fast, just a mere 67 days until the big, NEW opening day!  Although we are a little ways out, you may still see us showing up at your local community events.  The summer months here at Fair are Street Team Season.  This means we are sending out our best and brightest young men and women to educate you on the Fair.  The Street Team mostly consists of teens and young adults from local high schools and colleges.  They attend events to inform people that the Fair is coming.  They hand out flyers, brochures and great swag including pins, pens, mugs, bubbles and t-shirts.  Some items may require you do to something a little out of the ordinary…if you want that shirt you are going to have to cluck like a chicken or show your Fair spirit by shouting it at the top of your lungs.
If this sounds like your kind of fun you can check us out this weekend at the La Verne, Claremont and Chino Hills 4th of July events.  Support your local community and enjoy some early signs that the Fair is just around the corner.  Oh, and don’t forget: the louder and more zany you are, the better your chances are for some awesome prizes.

I just heard that we are getting a new skyride at the Fair this year! Actually, it’s two new skyrides - one going down Palm from the clocktower to Fairplex 9 near Blue Gate and the other following along Broadway from Sunset Cabana to La Grande Wheel in the carnival. Way cool!

The skyride is a great ride and one of those that evokes fun memories of childhood or romantics ones from date nights at the Fair! The original was erected in 1993. I love walking around the grounds and having kids yell down and wave at me to see if I’ll wave back. I always do!

Personally I think the best time to ride the skyride is during sunset! Lovely, serene, and if it’s a good sunset, you can see an orange glow enshroud the fairgrounds. Beautiful!

I am not kidding you! There are only 75 days left until opening day of the 2009 L.A. County Fair! What happened to spring? It was just here. This past Sunday was the official start of summer, and you know what that means here on the grounds of Fairplex. It’s go time! So, in honor of this being the 75th day and counting, I begin my countdown list of what we have to look forward to as the L.A. County Fair gets closer, 75 days closer. That’s 70, plus 5 more. That’s 76 trombones, minus one. That would be a diamond anniversary if we had been married for 75 years (75 years of marriage(!) - better be more than one diamond! Sorry, I digress). OK, here is a short list:

- Hot Dog on a Stick (what? you expected me to start with cute, cuddly animals? Hello! Did you forget who is writing this?)

- Cute, cuddly animals: ok, if you can recall, right behind Hot Dog on a Stick, I love, love, love all the animals we have during Fair, whether it’s the cute puppies at Bark Park or the soft, beautiful rabbits. I even love the huge rodent capybara.

- Big animals: Watusi cattle and their massive horns.

- Dinosaurrrrrrrs! I am so excited about Jurassic Planet, one of our new exhibits. It is all things paleo! We’ll have a T. Rex, Apatosaurus and a Muttaburrasaurus, which some smart-alecky 10-year-old mega genius pointed out that I was pronouncing wrong. Saw-ree!

- Food, fabulous food: besides HDOS, everything ooey, gooey, sticky, fried, frosted, toasted and deelish! This is one time when battered is a good thing.

- End of Summer Concert Series: holy cow! I cannot tell you what the lineup is, but you are gonna be so excited!

Ok, that is just a few. Things are heatin’ up here, so stay tuned! Don’t forget to follow the Fair on Twitter!! And Facebook!

We’ve had plenty to toast to recently, with the announcement of the winners of the Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition, a great media preview tasting of the winners last week in Beverly Hills, and a very successful Wine & Cars Under the Stars gala last Saturday, which was the first opportunity for the public to taste the winners.

See all the medal winners here and read about us in other blog postings:

http://gastronomy-101.blogspot.com/2009/06/event-la-wine-competition-preview-and.html

http://thirstyinla.com/2009/06/19/2009-la-wine-spirits-competition/

http://lablips.dailyradar.com/story/los_angeles_international_wine_and_spirits_2009/

http://www.womenwine.com/posts/journals/18487-winners-of-the-2009-la-international-wine-competition

http://freshcatering.blogspot.com/2009/06/la-international-wine-spirits.html

and

http://www.diglounge.net/drinks/los-angeles-international-wine-spirits-competition/

 Fairguests can taste the medal winners during the L.A. County Fair at the Wine & Spirits Marketplace, presented by Ralphs. You can also try beer and extra virgin olive oils. Sign up for a wine education class. What a way to spend an afternoon!

The deadline for the L.A. County Fair’s photography competition has been extended to July 1. So, what are you waiting for? “Recycled: Fashion, Food, and Lifestyle in Advertising Photography” is the competition title. This year’s competition calls on amateur and professional photographers to submit photos of recession-conscious trends in four categories: fashion, food, home/lifestyle and graphic arts. 

 Just like Scarlett O’Hara’s famous curtain dress, fashionable consumer goods nowadays rely on creative repurposing and innovatively inexpensive fabrics for the budget- and environmentally conscious American consumer.  Original photos that celebrate actual products or fantasy products and lifestyle, whether unique or mass-produced, are sought for this year’s competition. Photos of an advertising or editorial nature are both acceptable. Black and white or color photos are acceptable.  Photos may have text incorporated in the photo (i.e. an advertising slogan), or in the graphic arts category, be the logo that signifies the product or service.  The entry form will allow for text describing the photo(s) in greater detail.

Visit the competition Web site for all the rules and regulations, and all the categories. Hurry up you creative shutter bugs!

And white, and rose, and bubbly! Yes, the air above Fairplex will be fragrant with every varietal of wine come next week. The Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition and the Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition both get under way next week. The prestigious wine judging celebrates its 70th year this year.

Nearly 100 judges from around the world will sniff, swirl and spit more than 3,000 wines to find the ones that suit and soothe their palate. The judges are winemakers, wine writers, sommeliers, food experts - the best of the best.

So, we have a great wine competition, but what does this mean for you the Fairguest? Well, it means you can try out the medal winners at the L.A. County Fair. Wine tasting (and beer and extra virgin olive oil, too) is available at the Wine & Spirits Marketplace, presented by Ralphs, throughout the run of the Fair. It’s a great opportunity to tast a variety of varietals, see what piques your palate’s interest for home enjoyment.

And, if tasting wasn’t enough, the Fair offers wine education classes. All the classes have not been finalized yet, but once they are I’ll post a link so you can see what interests you.

If you can’t wait until the Fair, you can enjoy the competition award winners at Wine & Cars Under the Stars, June 20 at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum.

Hey fellow lovers of four-legged, wet-nosed cuddly, cute, catch-playing, bone-loving creatures. No, not you dinosaur lovers - I’m talking to my dog friends! You know we are bringing Bark Park back to the Fair this year. For those of you who can’t wait until September for some canine shenanigans, this weekend at Fairplex is the Mission Circuit Dog Show. Thousands of dogs will mark their spot (oh heavens, we hope not literally!) from Friday to Monday in this dog competition that has become a Fairplex Memorial Day weekend tradition.

More than 160 breeds will be represented. And even if you aren’t the type to enter your dog in a show, there is plenty on hand for the casual couch-dogtato owner. The show will feature pet adoptions, seminars, grooming tips, breed information, training tips, vendors and more.

Tickets are $6 for adults, $4 for seniors, $3 for children ages 6 - 12, and ages 5 and younger are free. Check our Web site for a coupon.

So, shake the keys at the kids and take a ride on over to Fairplex this weekend. It will be doggone terrier-tastic!