Fair share of fun

ANDREW GLAZER

FAIRGROUNDS -- In just one second, it changed from ghost town to

bustling carnival.

A conga line snaked its way through the Orange County Fair’s gates,

signaling its official opening. Instantly, it seemed, rides thrilled,

food plates filled and beer foam spilled.

And so it will go for the next 16 days until the 108th annual fair

comes to an end July 30.

“I like the Mexican food,” said Tony Villegas, 75, who was joined by

his son, Rick, 40, and two grandchildren -- Emily, 6, and Luke, 3. “And

the chicken and corn and ...”

By 3 p.m, nearly 14,000 people had passed through the front gates. An

Anaheim couple hosting three French exchange students brought them to the

fair. Barry Brunet, 65, said the girls were a bit overwhelmed by the

spectacle. Or perhaps by the sight of fair-goers engaging in the uniquely

American pastime of stuffing their bellies with fair fare -- blooming

onions, gyros and fried zucchini -- and then hopping onto rides that go

up and down and round and round.

“The music was blaring, all the food was around, and I asked if there

was anything like this in France,” said Brunet. “They said no way. And

they took off. They didn’t want to hang around with us old people.”

The Brunets waited at the Heritage Stage, a white wooden gazebo, for

the fair’s first performance to begin.

Clad in blue satin coats with big red buttons and floppy yellow hats,

dancers Brooke Holland and Jana Dawson, both 7, practiced their tap

routines in the aisle.

“I’m not nervous at all,” said Brooke, who has performed in the last

two fairs. “People always come up and say, ‘Oh, you’re so cute.’ It’s

really fun.”

Children lined up to ride the Zipper, where they are locked in a steel

chamber, hoisted high into the air, and shook like popcorn kernels over a

hot burner. The adults in charge of the young Zipper riders watched from

the sidelines.

“I spent too many years as a commercial diver; my balance is all off,”

explained Jon Perry, 40, a day camp counselor. He greeted three of his

campers as they hopped off the ride and screamed.

“I love being spun around,” said Erica Costes, 9, of Aliso Viejo. “You

get butterflies in your stomach, but no sickness. Only fun.”