Getting your fair share

Elia Powers

Like sailboats and beach barbecues, the Orange County Fair is

synonymous with summer in Newport-Mesa.

Throngs of Southern Californians will visit the Costa Mesa

Fairgrounds July 8 to 31 to sample the variety of offerings.

So what’s new on the grounds this time around?

The fair introduces Park Plaza and Plaza Arts Stage, an open-air

area near the Kids Park that will be the new home of multicultural

attractions.

Sabrina Sakaguchi, a fair spokeswoman, said performers such as

Mapapa African Acrobats and Stars of Peking Acrobats will take the

stage, which is located in the northwest corner of the fairgrounds.

The new zone will also be home to the culinary arts series, where

celebrity chefs Alton Brown, Curtis Aikens and Dave Lieberman will

teach audience members some of their favorite recipes each Thursday

at 5:30 p.m.

“There was a need to offer more entertainment space and put more

life into the fairground,” Sakaguchi said. “There was open space and

a need to restructure how traffic flows.”

Added Joan Hamill, the Fair’s director of community relations:

“It’s a new area, so we didn’t want to replicate what there was on

other stages. We wanted to devote this area to arts and culture.”

This year’s themed building is called the “Fair Play Building” and

is centered around toys. The fair’s overall theme is “It’s Callin’

You Out To Play.”

“It’s playing on lots of aspects of the fair,” Hamill said. “The

name includes the musical groups, the carnivals and the toys.”

In the Fair Play building, which is located on the southwest side

of the fairgrounds, children -- and children at heart -- can buy

toys, play with toys, view a historical timeline of 1950s, 1960s and 1970s toys, and look at toy collections and vintage toy commercials.

Sakaguchi said this year the fair is holding a “Toy Challenge”

where people in five divisions are making models of toys they would

like to see on the market. The winners will be displayed in the

building, she said.

Music is also playing a central role in this year’s fair. There

are 21 nights of concerts and entertainment, Sakaguchi said.

The Orange County Fair Summer Concert Series at Pacific

Amphitheatre is offering Friday and Saturday $19.99 ticket specials

for select performances.

Some of the bargain shows include the B52s, LeAnne Rhymes and

Chris Isaac.

This year’s commodity is avocados, which will be on display at the

Centennial Farm.

So, when can you get in for free?

* Anyone who arrives at the fairgrounds between 10 a.m. and 11

a.m. on July 8 receives free admission and parking.

* On opening day from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., any active duty military

personnel, firefighter or law-enforcement officer gets in free and

can bring a guest.

* On July 20, everyone who donates at least five cans of dry food

gets in for free from noon until 6 p.m.

* On July 27, anyone who brings in one new book or three used

books in good condition gets free admission from noon until 6 p.m.

Every Tuesday is kids day at the Fair, with children 12 and under

getting in for free. On Thursday, seniors get in for $4 and receive

free rides all day.

Costs for the event are: $8 general admission (13-59), $6 for

seniors, $4 for children (6-12) and free for children under the age

of 5.

Tickets are discounted before July 7.