Posts by Fair-ey Blogster:
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- The dinos are trying to get out of Jurassic Planet
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- Huge dino!
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- Love the way he looks against the San Gabriel Mtns
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- Everyone needs a giant cupcake
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- Trapez school waiting for flyers
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- Chicken Charlie’s stand – right near my office!
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- A scroll from America’s Kids
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- Our knights are lonely without you.
Ice, Ice Baby
September 1st, 2010
Arctic-level temperatures will greet Fairguests when our gates open this Saturday. It’s not thanks to the weatherman but too a new exhibit – LA in Ice…a frozen attraction. The show will feature a number of amazing ice sculptures showing famous L.A. landmarks and icons – like the Hollywood sign.
The exhibit is in Building 5 and is located in a giant freezer. As I entered it today to look around, all I could think of was the episode of I Love Lucy where Lucy gets locked in the meat freezer in her basement. With all our safety precautions, that can’t happen here. But the enclosure does look like a giant freezer. It’s $1 to get in and with that you get a blanket because it is COLD in there!
The photo above shows the blocks of ice before being carved into the artistic structures they will become. Notice the chainsaw – some use brush & palette, some use charcoal – chainsaw is the tool of choice for ice carving.
Artist Roland Hernandez will be on site to demonstrate just how adeptly he can wield a chainsaw.
See you in 63 hours.
A Floral Fiesta 200 Years in the Making
August 27th, 2010
Did you know the poinsettia is native to Mexico? I know you all thought this iconic Christmas flower was from someplace like England. The Aztecs made a reddish purple dye from the flower. Discover facts like this and more when you take int the beauty of Mexico’s flora at the Fair’s Flower & Garden Pavilion. Themed Celebrate Mexico, in honor of the country’s bicentennial, the Flower & Garden Pavilion explores the brilliant flowers from the poinsettia to the floating gardens of Xochimilco.
Mexico is a land of vibrant flowers used in spectacular celebrations as well as everyday life. You will learn the signficance of why certains flowers are used in holidays like Day of the Dead and which areas of the coutry are petal bountiful!
Be sure to bring your camera. F&G coordinator Jim Hynd and crew always do a fantastic job with flowers. And don’t forget to stop and take a deep breath. It smells fantastic!
Holy Deep-Fried Foodie, Thummer!
August 25th, 2010The L.A. County Fair is a food fantasy come true for Stef Andrews, who makes an annual pilgrimage to try every
deep-fried delicacy, on-a-stick surprise and chocolate-covered treat we have to offer. So, it is only fitting that we announce Stef as the official 2010 L.A. County Fair Foodie! Stef, chief blogger at www.weheartthis.com, won our first-ever Fair Foodie contest. The contest looked for the best Foodie up to the challenge of covering all things food at the Fair.
Check out Stef’s winning entry here. We are proud to welcome her to the Fair family and can’t wait to show her around. She’ll be blogging at www.weheartthis.com and tweeting @weheartthis to share all of her tastings and food encounters, so be sure to visit her blog for the latest and tastiest L.A. County Fair food updates. She’ll be assisted by her co-editor, Tyna Werner, as they take the Fair by storm, leaving no crumb untasted!
Dino Roar
August 25th, 2010I was walking the grounds this morning when I stumbled upon (or rather, it nearly stomped on me) this giant T. Rex standing outside the Jurassic Planet attraction. The Lizard King, as he is known, has “broken” out of building 8 and is trying to escape. You won’t want to miss this fella when you visit the Fair. He is moving and roaring already. I took a little video of him talking to Kristy Jo and me:
Nine days til the Fair my friends!
It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Fairtime
August 20th, 2010That’s right – two weeks from tomorrow. It’s go time. The 88th L.A. County Fair begins Sept. 4 with so many ways to save every day and edutainment for everyone! We have dinosaurs, we have monkeys, we have a traveling circus, we have shopping and food, food, food! We have a new layout and it’s better than ever here at the Fair. Take a look at how we are coming along:
Check us out at lacountyfair.com.
Get a Lesson in Anatomy with Our Body
August 17th, 2010
Each year we try to bring new and innovative programming to the L.A. County Fair. There is one new exhibit that we think will have you talking for days and months after. OUR BODY: THE UNIVERSE WITHIN is a fascinating, artful and educational exhibit consisting of actual human bodies and organs. This exhibit literally goes “under the skin,” revealing the mysteries of human anatomy.
Our Body has been on display at museums and science centers throughout North America. This is the first time it has been presented outside of a formal museum setting, allowing this unique show to reach a broad spectrum of patrons.
The bodies, specimens and organs have been preserved using a process known as polymer impregnation, or plastination. This process preserves
tissues right down to the microscopic level. OUR BODY: THE UNIVERSE WITHIN allows you the insight to the inside, giving one a true look at the inner workings of the extraordinary human body.
As you enter the exhibit, you will have the opportunity to examine the human body as a whole. Continuing throughout the exhibit, you will journey through each of the body’s major systems allowing you to see firsthand how they function and relate to other systems. You are about to see the human body in a way previously only available to doctors and scientists, and journey through the 1,000 year history of our own species.
All of the anatomical specimens contained in OUR BODY: THE UNIVERSE WITHIN originate from China and have been provided for the exhibit in a manner consistent with the laws of China. The anatomical specimens, donated through medical schools and other research facilities in China, are provided by a Chinese foundation to promote educational and medical research of the human body. Specific identities are not listed.
OUR BODY: THE UNIVERSE WITHIN will be located in the Grandstand. Ages 12 and younger will not be permitted without a parent or guardian. Tickets to Our Body are available online for $5. At the door tickets will be $7.
Come out and get a fascinating science lesson at the Fair!
Take a Last Ride on the Slide Before it Chutes into History
August 13th, 2010
The Giant Slide - that big, huge wavy banana-like structure near the Flower & Garden Pavilion where you get potato-sack burns on your…well, where you get potato sack burns - is celebrating its 45th anniversary at the L.A. County Fair – and it’s last.
After nearly half a century at the Fair, the Giant Slide is retiring. It’s going to spend the rest of its days with the metal slide with sharp edges that I played on when I was a kid, the one that gave me third-degree burns sliding under the Inland Valley heat, and the twisty pool slide my cousins had that usually landed us on the cement edge of the pool rather than in the pool. Retirement homes for slides – Slideview Farms, Chute Chateau, The Swoosh Inn. Who knew?
With the Giant Slide headed for social security, that means you must take one last ride during this year’s Fair! Grab a bunch of friends. Wear silly hats. Make faces as you whoosh over each bump. Enjoy the last thrills of an old Fair friend.
What are you memories of riding the Giant Slide?
Giddy up!
August 11th, 2010
It’s not just great rides and great food that’s coming up in three weeks. The L.A. County Fair has live thoroughbred horse racing! Feel the pulse-pounding action Sept. 9 – 27 at Fairplex Park (dark Mondays Sept. 13 and 20 and all Tuesdays).
Now in its 72nd season, the sport of kings is available to all race fans during the Fair. Post time is 1 p.m. Don’t miss these daily features:
1.The Better Bettors’ Forum-Open every day in the Clubhouse. Gordon Jones hosts at 11 a.m. with special guests on weekends.
2.Free Clubhouse Admission-There is no charge to enter the Clubhouse. Take advantage of our free video replay screen.
3.Free Grandstand seating.
Even if you are a beginner, check out the races. There are also a ton of promotions. There are wiener dog races on Sept. 11 and don’t miss the classic car show on Sept. 25.
See you at the races!
No Need to Pay Full Price to Get into the Fair!
August 4th, 2010
My fellow Fair lovers, it is 30 days til the gates open for the 88th anniversary of the L.A. County Fair! That’s 30 days until a ride on the Ferris wheel, 30 days til you find out if your cookies won a blue ribbon, 30 days until you get to rock out at the End of Summer Concert Series and 30 days until my first Hot Dog on a Stick in almost a year! What’s really great is we have so many discounts and promotions, you should not have to pay full price to get in! It’s Pure.Value. my friends.
First off, on opening weekend - Labor Day Weekend - admission is $1 Saturday, Sunday and Monday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. One dollar! You can bring a carload of people for just 10 bucks. Prices do go up to regular weekend rates after 1 p.m. – so be there before 1!
Pre-sale tickets are available online for $10 for adults and $6 for children through Aug. 31. Pre-sale carnival ticket discounts are also available online. Check it out.
Perhaps the best thing we have to offer is the season pass. Just $24.95 for ages 6 and older – gets you in every day of the Fair!
Give blood and get a free Fair ticket. The American Red Cross and the Fair have their annual blood drives Aug. 20 and Sept. 14 at the Sheraton Fairplex Hotel. Sign up at givelife.org and enter sponsor code fairmckinley.
Food Drive Fridays are back. Bring in five cans of Ralphs brand food on Fridays to the Fair and get into the Fair for free! All canned food will be donated to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.
By the way, you can buy $10 any-day tickets at participating Ralphs grocery stores from Aug. 23 – Oct. 3. And get a coupon at McDonald’s for McDonald’s Wednesdays – $20 admission and unlimited ride carnival wristband (available beginning Aug. 30).
There’s also College Thursdays, Community Days, A Weekend for Heroes for law enforcement and retirement, Senior Wednesdays and $5 after 5 p.m. Wednesdays – Fridays.
See what I’m saying? If I bump into you during the Fair and you tell me you paid full price, you’re going to get my, “Really? Really?” look. And you don’t want that…
No GPS Needed to Navigate Our Fair
July 22nd, 2010
When you visit the L.A. County Fair this year, you’ll notice something is a little different. Actually, a LOT of things are different! We’ve been building, moving, grading, shifting and lifting many things around the grounds to make all areas of the Fair easier for our guests to navigate. We are shaping up beautifully and I think you are going to love the results! It’s like we went to a 12-month Day Spa and came back refreshed and ready to greet our more than one million guests.
The first big change you’ll notice is the carnival has moved a bit southeast. It will be located closer to the center of the fairgrounds, in between the Flower & Garden Pavilion and the grandstand. The Grandstand Pavilion shopping area and the bbqs and spas have moved to make way for the carnival. The fabulous Ray Cammack Shows carnival will be back again for its 26th year with all the great rides, games and food you’ve come to enjoy – just in a new locale!
For all you shopaholics like me, we’ve located all the shopping in one convenient spot – the Shopping Place. This isn’t completely new. The Shopping Place has always been located in the shopping buildings. But now ALL products and vendors will be in that neighborhood, including along the thoroughfares between the buildings. There will be the Shopping Shuttle Express, presented by Jeffrey Scott Fine Magnetics, that will take shoppers from Yellow Gate and back. The Grandstand Pavilion was removed to make way for the carnival, so all vendors who were in the pavilion are now at the Shopping Place.
The Sunset Cabana is gone, replaced by Outdoor Living, were all the spas and bbqs will be located. This is located on Broadway, near the clock tower.
A Pirate’s Life has moved to behind the Shopping Place, near Red Gate. Esmeralda’s Traveling Circus, a new attraction, will be on Redwood Street. Behind the circus will be the new Gypsy Camp, near the Sheraton Fairplex Hotel and Red Gate entrance. The camp will be full of unusual and strange sights to behold!
See? Lots of new things in new settings. I know you will love it! Forty-four days!
