Mission: Fun (Fair’s Begun)

The first batch of hot dogs hit the grills at 10 a.m. Friday, the gears and wheels of the Zipper did some warmups, and the gates of the Orange County Fair swung open to a large, smiling crowd.

Brock Meastas, 9, was up from San Clemente for the day with five friends, determined to eat snow cones and ride the Ferris wheel and his favorite, the “Zipper thingy.”

“You go upside-down. It’s scary,” he said, admitting that, yes, screaming is involved. He looks forward to the fair every year. “I just wish it lasted longer,” he said.

Kyle Teske of San Clemente, age “six and three-quarters,” fell in love with the gravity-defying Starship 2000. “You go around and walk on the walls,” he said. “You just float.”

There were first-day glitches, of course: ATMs that refused to pay out; half a dozen children reported missing but eventually reunited with families; the big new attraction, Sky Diver, sitting idle because of a patent challenge, though officials hope to have it going by Monday. But mostly there were jovial children enchanted by the magical mix of carnival rides, novelty booths and farm exhibits that make up a county fair.

“You have to put together this great big city that’s temporary,” fair manager Becky Bailey-Findley said. “It just happens as it happens. It’s a family thing.”

This year 55 rides and 350 exhibits will be spread over 160 acres. Among attractions are a petting zoo, a trampoline 30 feet across, and rows and rows of things to buy. Vendors tempt passersby with flowers, fudge and foot massages (they’re near Gate 4).

Ashley Gummer, 18, spent the day selling hot dogs for Lindsey’s Concessions. She knows her job is a big part of the scene. “The fair just tastes like hot dogs, cinnamon rolls and cotton candy,” she said. “It’s just one of those things.”

By 3 p.m., attendance was 13,987, up slightly higher than at the same time last year.

The fair runs through July 30 at 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. Hours are noon to midnight Monday through Wednesday and 10 a.m. to midnight Thursday through Sunday. Admission is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, $2 for children and free for those younger than 5. Information: (714) 708-3247.