The L.A. County Fair’s favorite emissary, Thummer, brought a little light into the lives of children at Pomona Valley Hospital & Medical Center and Casa Colina Rehabilitation Center when he stopped by with some stuffed animals, courtesy of Ray Cammack Shows (RCS), the folks who bring the carnival to the Fair each year. Nice work, Thummer! Thanks, RCS! 

Ever see a bunch of short-legged dogs run in thick dirt? Very funny. The Wiener Dog races had several heats at the L.A. County Fair - all very funny indeed. One racer, Blazer from Newport Beach, well, it was a miracle he made it to the end. At 35 lbs, he was the biggest contestant (he eats cat chow! Who knew cat chow was so high caloric?). Take a look:

Sally from Orange won this heat. Take a look at Blazer:

Let the trumpet blare! The race you’ve been waiting for is here! We’re not talking ponies at Fairplex Park. It’s the Wiener Dog races! Yes, tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 19, those cute little dachshunds will be racing to the finish line, in their cute little puppy dog silks. Races begin at 1:10 p.m. at the horse track, and will run every hour after that until 5 p.m. Go cheer for your favorite dog!

Beginning opening weekend this Saturday and continuing every weekend through Oct. 4, the Fair and local animal shelters will be offering pet adoptions at Bark Park. Go the Fair, bring home the furry love of your life. It’s better than a date with a human.

Bark Park features a dog rescue organization or animal shelter sponsored by West Coast Pet Expo with a variety of four-legged friends looking for good homes. Stop by and learn about the work of these worthwhile organizations. Welcoming a rescue dog into your family is a feel-good opportunity with a lifetime of rewards. 

Here is Bark Park’s adoption schedule:
Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 5-6
Beagles and Buddies
El Monte, CA

Saturday, Sept. 12
Mutts N Stuff Small Dog Rescue
Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 19 - 20
Riverside County Department of Animal Services
Riverside, CA

 Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 26 – 27
 Greyhounds of America
 La Habra Heights, CA

 Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 3 – 4
 West End Shelter for Animals
 Ontario, CA

One of my favorite spots at the Fair, probably my most favorite spot, is FairView Farms and the Big Red Barn®. There is something serene about communing with the cows, goats and all the other critters that inhabit the farm. During the Fair we have our resident cowboy Sky Shivers who comes from his home in Oklahoma to care for the farm. He spends everyday at the farm, educating visitors about animals (like Gidget, left, the miniature Sicilian donkey) and agriculture, and the parts they play in life around the globe. He is a well of knowledge. Hang around the farm and you will learn some things you never knew before.

This year Sky has several new exhibits and attractions in the farm:

According to Sky the goal of FairView Farms is to educate people about the reality of the animal world. That includes interesting facts like, in some cultures, every part of the hog “except the squeal” is used for food. That makes the hog the perfect animal, said Sky, because it is 100 percent consummable.  Another fact: 96 percent of a car is made from animal by-products.

What can you expect to see in FairView Farms this year? The nursery is being expanded and will include such unusual critters as a baby water buffalo, baby yaks and baby miniature donkeys - all along with their moms. The entertainment barn will have goat milking. You can milk a goat then move over to the goat barn and see an expert make butter, cottage cheese and ice cream using the goat milk! See, we are very self-sustaining here at the Fair - nothing goes to waste!

There will be a miniature pony exhibit, expanded pig races and American Mammoth donkeys (pictured right). The donkeys were first brought to the United States as a gift from the King of Spain for George Washington. Washington let the Colonists use and breed the donkeys and, voila, the American Mammoth donkey was born. These donkeys tend to be about 14 hands high (one hand=4 inches) but can go up to 16 hands high.

So, stop by FairView Farms. It’s edu-tainment at its best!

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!

It’s almost May and I have to say that I’m getting excited! The Fair is right around the corner, the Los Angeles International Wine and Spirits Competition, and the Los Angeles International Commercial Beer Competitions are coming up VERY quickly, and on May 2nd we are having a Kentucky Derby Party!!!

Yup… I said PARTY and everyone is invited. I know what you’re thinking….. what a fun place to work, and you would be correct. The fun will begin at 7am for you die-hard fans, and for those of you who will still be in bed at 7am (like me) it will still be exciting at around 10am… I promise!

We will be celebrating in true Churchill Downs fashion with mint juleps, big crazy hats, and the loudest cheering possible! While most of my Fairplex friends are excited about the race, I admit that I am most excited about the hats!!! We are even having a hat contest and you can sign up that day! I work here so I can’t participate in the contest… but I will still be wearing the most outrageous hat that my creative mind can come up with.

Join me at Fairplex Satellite Wagering - It’s going to be a great party so bring on the horses and the hats!

Hey teachers and parents! I am sure many of you have attended the L.A. County Fair before and have enjoyed all the shopping and Fair food. Maybe you even brought your children and let them enjoy the carnival rides and see all the live animals. Did you know that we have a free field trip program that is in progress throughout the run of the Fair that allows students to come to the Fair and have a one-of-a-kind learning experience as well? The field trip is called The FairKids Discovery Club Field Trip Program.
It’s a free field trip for preschool through 8th grade students to attend the L.A. County Fair. The field trip is designed with Southern California teachers in mind; grade level and subject-specific, they fit easily into existing curriculum maps, and comply with California State Department of Education Curriculum Content Standards.

The 2008 L.A. County Fair had approximately 103,000 students, teachers and chaperones enrolled in field trips to the Fair. FairView Farms is one of the favorite exhibits among the field trip participants.  Last year, several students and teachers witnessed an animal being born. Seeing real animals is very exciting to students who never get to see them in their city life. Teachers continuously tell us that their students enjoy visiting the Milking Parlor, learning where milk comes from and enjoying free milk afterward.

We are currently working on information to send out to all teachers,  principals and parents at more than 7,000 local public, private and home schools. We are being “greener” this year by sending our information electronically and only using “snail mail” where absolutely necessary.   We encourage online registration as well.  Information about the FairKids Discovery Club Field Trip Program and registration/reservations will be on our Web site at lacountyfair.com/fairkids beginning mid-March. Curriculum information will go up in June. 

If your students or children have not participated in this program we encourage you to get them involved. If they have come before then you already know that this program is exceptional. Please join us again this year. Spread the word and encourage other schools to come join in on the fun. It is a truly unique learning experience because it happens in a truly special 543-acre ‘classroom.’

Have you seen the Budweiser Clydesdales here at the Fair? They are absolutely beautiful! How can something so large be so graceful? Here is some info:

Known for their gentle temperament, Clydesdales that make the Budweiser team are special in many ways. Each full-grown gelding is 18 hands (about 6 feet) at the shoulder and weighs 2,000 to 2,300 pounds. The ideal Budweiser Clydesdale is bay in color, has a black mane and tail and a splash of white on its face. Each horse must also have the signature white feathering on all four legs and feet. Budweiser’s gentle giants enjoy two meals daily consisting of 20 to 25 quarts of feed, 50 to 60 pounds of hay and as much as 30 gallons of water!
Clydesdale horses hail from Scotland’s Clyde River region in Lanarkshire where they were bred to pull loads of more than a ton at a five-mile-an-hour pace. They came to the U.S. in the mid-19th century to work on farms. In 1933, to commemorate the first bottle of beer produced by Anheuser-Busch after the repeal of Prohibition, August A. Busch, Jr. presented his father with a hitch of the giant Clydesdales pulling a red, white and gold beer wagon. Recognizing the promotional and advertising possibilities,  the company soon made Clydesdales the official mascots of the Budweiser brand. The Budweiser Clydesdale team travels nearly 100,000 miles each year, appearing at county fairs, parades, sporting events and even presidential inaugurations.
A Dalmatian always accompanies the team on its roads trips. The breed was originally chosen to accompany the Budweiser wagons on their delivery routes to protect the horses and guard the wagon while the driver made deliveries. Now Dalmatians serve as mild-mannered companions for the Clydesdales, even sleeping with the horses in their stables. They accompany the team on each appearance, seated beside the driver, and have become nearly as popular and well-known as their giant equine friends.

Pretty cool, aren’t they? See them in the parades Wednesdays through Saturdays and visit them in the Fair home in Palms Marketplace.