Do you realize we are down to the last five days before the start of the L.A. County Fair?! Hope you don’t have any plans for Labor Day as we are opening Labor Day weekend - the first time ever! Beginning Saturday, you will have 23 opportunities to visit us.

Here is what you have to look forward to:
* Hot Dog on a Stick
* End of Summer Concert Series - Our popular live entertainment series begins with Al Green and in between we have Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert, Leann Rimes, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Beach Boys, Gap Band, Pat Benatar, action sports, Monster Trucks, Donna Summer - oh, so much fun.
*Jurassic Planet - Dinos come to life at the Fair.
*The best carnival around.
*Award-winning wines, spirits and beer at the Wine & Spirits Marketplace.
*Shopping, shopping shopping.
*Food, food, food - everything from the Meat Lover’s Ice Cream Cone to the Zucchini Weenie to Dino Ribs, everything on a stick, deep-fried, dipped in chocolate, international flavors…ah!

And so much more. This year we are synonymous with value - we have so many discounts and promotions, you don’t ever have to pay full price to get into the Fair!!

We’re so excited! Can’t wait to see you. Meet ya at the Clocktower. Or at Hot Dog on a Stick. Or at Tasty Chips. Or in front of the muttaburrasaurus. Or at Gateway to Africa. Or on the Zipper!!!!!!

You dropped a bomb on me, baby, You dropped a bomb on me - you turned me out, then you turned me on… Oh yeah! Charlie Wilson and the Gap Band in the hooowwwwwwssssse! Tickets to the Fair’s End of Summer Concert Series went on sale to the public this a.m. The Gap Band was one of the most popular tickets on sale.

Check out what the Fair’s peeps were buying:

Get a complete list of the EOSCS acts at our Web page. Buy your tickets at the Fair credentials office, on our Web site, ticketmaster.com or at any Ticketmaster location.

See you at the Gap Band show! Early in the morning…

The End of Summer Concert Series lineup has been announced! And it is a good one! We are going to have classic rock, southern rock, country, disco soul and lots of wild entertainment. Tickets go on sale Monday at 10 a.m. Without further ado, the lineup for 2009:

• Saturday, Sept. 5 – Al Green & very special guest star The Spinners
• Sunday, Sept. 6 – Blake Shelton & Miranda Lambert
• Monday, Sept. 7 – Jaguares
• Thursday, Sept. 10 – Monster Truck Madness, presented by AT&T
• Friday, Sept. 11 – Peter Frampton & Kansas
• Saturday, Sept. 12 – Good Charlotte
• Sunday, Sept. 13 – Lynyrd Skynyrd
• Thursday, Sept. 17 – Creedence Clearwater Revisited
• Friday, Sept. 18 – WAR & Average White Band
• Saturday, Sept. 19 – LeAnn Rimes
• Sunday, Sept. 20 – MARIACHI USA® Fiesta, presented by Univision and Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa
• Thursday, Sept. 24 – TBA
• Friday, Sept. 25 – Donna Summer
• Saturday, Sept. 26 – Ciara
• Sunday, Sept. 27 – The Beach Boys
• Thursday, Oct. 1 – Demolition Derby
• Friday, Oct. 2 – Charlie Wilson & the Gap Band, The Brothers Johnson
• Saturday, Oct. 3 – World Championships of Freestyle Motocross, presented by ASA Entertainment
• Sunday, Oct. 4 – Shinedown, Puddle of Mudd, Saliva

Reserved seating is available from $18.50 to $35, box seats from $22 to $50 and stageside seating from $75 to $150. General admission seating is free with Fair admission. Tickets may be purchased at the Fairplex credentials office, 1101 W. McKinley Ave., Pomona, at Ticketmaster locations and online at www.lacountyfair.com and www.ticketmaster.com.

Pretty cool, huh? I saw Peter Frampton here a couple years ago and, wow, amazing. The hair is gone but he is a fantastic musician, great guitar player. Saw Berlin last year - big wow! Terri Nunn is way amazing. Lots of variety on our lineup, something from everyone. Rock on!

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!

Hail! Hail! Rock and Roll! (and Country and R&B). If you - my fellow fans, fanatics, groupies and hangers-on - are serious about this thing called Music, you need to be hooked up to the L.A. County Fair’s End of Summer Concert Series Club. For $15, you will receive advance notice of the Fair’s End of Summer Concert Series lineup, access to pre-sale tickets and an exclusive EOSCS T-shirt. You can join now.

The lineup is still a heavily guarded secret, but keep checking back here for hints on the great acts that will be performing at the Fair. If you’ve been to one of our concerts before, you know what a unique setting it is, with the Fair as a backdrop. We’ve had some legendary acts raise the roof (well, actually, concerts are outdoors but you know what I mean! Rock the grounds, touch the stars, make a pig squeal!). I’ve seen guitar virtuoso Peter Frampton (sans hair these days) - totally awesome; Hall & Oates, with an amazing head of hair on Daryl Hall; a fun, fun, fun show with the B-52s; and last year Terri Nunn and Berlin rocked. Rihanna has performed here, as has Toby Keith, Al Green and Smokey Robinson. Sugarland, Jessica Simpson and Gavin Rossdale were here last year (yes, Gavin, deep sigh, Rossdale).

So, what are you waiting for?! Sign up now!

See you in the front row. I hope you like to dance.

Can you believe we are rolling into the last week of the LA County Fair? How many times have you been here already, three, four, five? If you haven’t been yet, then shake a leg! It’s been great so far - attractions, exhibits, magic, food, shopping!! The End of Summer Concert and Adrenaline Nights series has been great (saw Berlin and the Bangles last week - Berlin was fantastic! Teri Nunn looked great, sounded great. Sang all my favorites! She went into the audience, atop someone’s shoulders, for the last song, “Take My Breath Away” from Top Gun). This week it’s Guilherme Marche’s Professional Bull Riders, the Gap Band, Motocross and on Sunday Lifehouse and Gavin Rossdale - whoo hoo!

There are still several ways to get great discounts on tickets so check out our Web page. It’s the last five days! Don’t miss out!!!!

Ok, I’ve been a little lax on the blogging lately. But we are coming down to the wire here at the L.A. County Fair. It’s T-minus 17 days. Be sure to check out the Web site for all the exciting attractions and promotions. Don’t forget to buy your End of Summer Concert Series/Adrenaline Nights tickets. There is so much happening! More later!

 It’s finally here! The announcement of the 2008 L.A. County Fair End of Summer Concert Series, presented by Toyota. We’ve added a new moniker to part of the lineup – Adrenaline Nights, which will feature an expanded extreme sports series. Great entertainment for a great price. Check our Web site for full details. So, without further ado, here you go:
• WAR - Friday, Sept. 5
• Sugarland - Saturday, Sept.  6 (totally hot right now!)
• The Doobie Brothers and Grand Funk Railroad - Sunday, Sept. 7 (“South City Midnight Lady, I’m much obliged indeed…” OMG, if they sing this, I’ll faint! Memories of a 9 year old listening to her brother’s albums)
• Monster Truck Madness - Thursday, Sept. 11
• Smokey Robinson - Friday, Sept. 12 (That’s the Legendary Smokey!)
• KC & The Sunshine Band with Village People - Saturday, Sept. 13 (That’s the way, uh huh, uh huh we like it!)
• Jaguares - Sunday, Sept. 14
• American Daredevils-Random Acts of Recklessness - Thursday, Sept. 18
• The Bangles, Berlin featuring Terri Nunn and The Motels featuring Martha Davis - Friday, Sept. 19 (Ah, the ‘80s – I miss ‘em! “Just another Manic Monday, ooowwwo, wish it were Sunday!”)
• Jessica Simpson - Saturday, Sept. 20 (Yes, that Jessica Simpson!)
• MARIACHI USA®FIESTA, Presented by Univision and San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino - Sunday, Sept. 21
• Guilherme Marchi Classic Professional Bull Riders , Presented by Jeffrey Scott®Fine Magnetics - Thursday, Sept. 25
• Charlie Wilson & the Gap Band, Rose Royce and Lakeside - Friday, Sept. 26 (The Gap Band! “You dropped a bomb on me, baby, you dropped a bomb on me” – I’m dancing already!)
• LG World Championships of Freestyle Motocross, Presented by ASA Entertainment - Saturday, Sept. 27
• Lifehouse, Gavin Rossdale - Sunday, Sept. 28 (Yes, that Gavin Rossdale! Former front man of Bush, heavenly voice, husband to Gwen, father to Kingston, “Love Remains the Same,” Oh, yes it does, Gavin!)

Don’t miss out. I’ve seen several concerts here and they’re always great. Sound is great, seats are good pretty much anywhere you sit. If you see some brown-haired woman dancing and singing in the audience, that’s me. See you there!