Originally Posted By trekkeruss <<Why do the fairgrounds always seem to be located in the hottest, most unpleasant pit of each county?>> My county is in a fairly urban area, and there is no cheap land (Fairfax, VA, a suburban county of Washington D.C.) It's not even held on a fairground, because there is no such place here... they hold it in the parking lot of the county government center.
Originally Posted By tapdancemom Do you go? Haven't been in a couple of years, used to go all the time. Do you have certain sections you visit? I like the 4-H projects, enjoy watching the kids show their animals. Have you ever participated in a Fair, like entered a flower, a piece of art, a photo or an animal for competition? Never have. Have you ever performed at a Fair, like a cooking exhibit, as a singer, dancer, baton twirler? I danced at county fairs as a teenager and have our dancers perform at them up until the last couple of years. Our local county fair was dropped a couple of years ago. Not enough interest from the city folks in Portland. What musical acts have you seen at the Fair? The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleads and Bill Cosby. Lots of local entertainment too.
Originally Posted By 4Disnee Ours in Solano County starts On Friday the 14 and we are not sure if we will go this year or not. Every year it seems to get more and more GHETTO! There was a add in our local news paper about the dress code and I was amazed that they even put it in the paper. It mentioned that Women should wear a bra! The men should pull up there pants and Something along the lines that should we trust people with no teeth running the rides. This artical was very rude but to the point. But I guess that is what people see at the Solano County fair not a pretty sight hugh? Does anyone else ever go to this fair? There are really no big names playing there will be Gladis Knight and Raven.
Originally Posted By SuzieQ I've always thought the Solano fairgrounds were about as depressing as the Contra Costa ones Our company used to rent one of exhibit halls every December for our huge Christmas party.
Originally Posted By Autopia Deb It's been years since I've been to either but I'm more likely to go to the Vetura County fair (next county south) than the Santa Barbara County fair, it's MUCH closer. I've never participated in anything. But I remember as a kid going to the SB fair and the picture for the freak show scared me near to death. There were these giant rats (bears dream of being this size) standing over some frightened humans. I remember lying awake that night afraid to close my eyes. "See the giant man-eating rats!" I don't think so bub!
Originally Posted By TALL Disney Guy Once at our county fair my sister and one of her friends went on the Gravitron. For those unfamiliar with it, it's this ride thing you go into, kinda like a flyin' saucer, and you're supposed to somehow restrain yourself and then it spins around and around *really* fast (there may be some other effect, I'm not sure). The gravity was super powerful so that if, like, a lady tossed her purse in the middle, it would come back and it her in the stomach (I think that happened, lol). Well, my sister's petit little friend Ruth either didn't restrain herself properly or somethin' went wrong, but somehow she ended up getting knocked out of her place and stuck to this woman, her head trapped inbetween this gal's "girls". My sister was laughin' her head off as Ruth was yellin' and couldn't get herself free due to the gravity force...I didn't get to see it, but boy it shore was a hoot hearin' about it! lol
Originally Posted By Ursula I enjoyed performing at the fairs when I was little. Of course I got stage fright and would mostly try to hide behind my sister during the tap dancing bits, but we'll save that for another topic. I was much better at hula. I don't like going to fairs now unless they have horseracing. We got shanghaied into going to the Orange County Fair this year for our mom's birthday. Besides that it's 1,243 miles from my house and it doesn't have horseracing... but I'm sure there will be a guy selling a odorless onion peeler that my mom will make me buy.
Originally Posted By Mrs Nurmi Aaah, the Gravitron. You know the purse trick? Welllllll, the principal holds for vomit. Fortunately, Rob & Rich were on the complete opposite side of the ride, because the people next to this poor guy who had injested far too many little donuts & cotton candy were... umm... coated. It started a chain reaction. It wasn't pretty. The best part was once the ride was stopped, the ride operator was so totally nonchalant about getting the hose out. It had absolutely NO effect on him, lol. Our 'county' fair has turned into a hole too. We go every couple of years, hoping that it will have changed, but all it becomes is more expensive. I wish there were more displays like the quilts & baking & art like there used to be when I was a kid. Who needs another set of Ginsu Knives?
Originally Posted By Big Thunder I have mixed feelings bout county fairs. I still remember an incident from my childhood being at the Los Angeles County Fair, I was around 7 or 8 years old. After about an hour of lectures about where not to go, who not to talk to, what not to touch, and more, I was allowed to accompany some family friend's' 2 older boys to the "Fun Zone" I so wanted to be like the big kids so I was psyched. I memer the loud heavy rock music, dirty carney's with tattoos and sleeveless levi jackets. I'd never ridden big carnival rides before, I was a lil afraid. Fortunately we started on the giant slide, I'd been on that before and liked it. Problem was, the big kids wanted to make us crash and we tumbled down, but I acted like it didn't hurt. Then we went on that big gravity spinning thing where the floor drops, I kinda liked that, but was dizzy. Head still spinning I was put on "The Hammer" that's when I lost composure and exposed my immaturity and age difference. The big kids thought it was funny as heck that I was bouncing around and coming out of the seat restraint, while stuck in upside down mode I yelled as loud as my lungs would produce screams to "LET ME OFF" I'm pretty sure the word "Mommy" slipped out too [<--- a total blow it when wanting to be accepted by big kids] I remember they were talking up corn dogs and how great they were, so of course i wanted to redeem myself and eat one with them. I spit out the first bite with a big "YUCK" [I learned that I don't like corn dogs] Yeah... first fair experience, I give it a 4. later years my mom would take me and a friend to the L.A. fair on free student day [the school would give tickets to students] I was a lil older and a bit braver, but I still didn't ride "the Hammer" I can still see clear images of dirty carny hosing out the cars around the stench of vomit as we'd walk past [not pretty] They had a small "freak show" very cheesy, a bearded lady [fake as ever] a monkey boy [boy with hair glued to skin] but as phoney and dumb as it was, it's now a cute memory. I remember the house of mirrors, and a small haunted house ride. My favorite at LA fair was go carts and next to that a motorcycle show where a lady would ride in the big metal sphere and then her son would join in on a go cart... "WOW death defying" lol There was always a man selling some sort of bird whistle thingys outside the horse races, I wanted to chirp like him so bought one, I never could figure that thing out, just hummed. I once entered a model in a competition mostly because a friend entered something also. That year his whole family entered things like a pie, a table setting, model, craft etc. I think I got a 3rd place ribbon for my class. As a teen we'd go to the fair and in the 80's actual known entertainment was showing up. One year I took my wife [then girlfriend] we drank beer in the parking lot, paid a guy 5 bucks to make some mark on our wrists with a glow pen which got us through the return gates, saw some 80's band that had one hit back then. We walked around a bit and that's when I noticed that the L.A. county fair Fun Zone was becoming very ugly and had a very bad element. Lots of gang confrontations, etc. The following year we just did exhibits, it was fun, I saw things that I never knew was at the fair. Inside there was a wine tasting event, we sampled wine from vineyards that had the same name as ours, I remember that Mrs Thunder's was very sweet. At that wine tent, a jazz band performed and they were pretty good, that was around 1984, I signed up for their mail list and still today every month I get a flyer in the mail for that band we saw in 1984, I lost them once when we got married and moved, I met one of the band member at a wedding and said "I know that band, saw em at the fair, used to get flyers in the mail" he asked for updated address and he still sends them every month. The last time we went to the fair was a few years ago, our daughter [lil Thunder] was in a Mexican folklorico dance group and they performed there, I think that was the only time she's been to the fair. Overall, I dont like LA county fair, but as a kid there was some cool stuff. They had a monorail, I remember the AC leaked water as it went by. They had a cool recreation of an underground gold mine and a miner would give guided tours.
Originally Posted By jdub <There are really no big names playing there will be Gladis Knight and Raven. > If we are talking about THE Gladys Knight-- I'm not sure what is mean by "really no big names." Next to Gladys Knight, everyone else is a Pip!
Originally Posted By 4Disnee jdub, Yeah you are right! I should have said that there is only 1 big name and I do love her music. I guess that I was trying to say it would be nice to have more than one. The fair is charging $35 to $45 to see her so we will not be seeing her for that price at a fair. I guess Raven is big also and all of the kids love her but I am not interesed in seeing her. We have in past more people and it was at no extra cost. That was very nice but I guess that the fair waited to long and could not get any other acts or so that is what they say. lol
Originally Posted By jdub I remember several years ago Debbie Reynolds was appearing at the Alameda County Fair (included in admission). At some point, a couple of teen girls were exiting along the front of the amphitheatre stage, & Reynolds ran along the lip of the stage right above them yelling for them to stay: "I'm Princess Leia's mother!" True Story. Yes, really!
Originally Posted By Autopia Deb Debbie Reynolds cracks me up, she's got a great sence of humor and miles of moxy.
Originally Posted By Labuda Wow, looks like my county fair is the rodeo - ditto Harris County, I guess. Guess that's what I get for living in Texas. hehe
