County fair’s 21-day run begins today

Andrew Edwards and Desdemona Bandini

It happens every summer. The Orange County Fair is set to open today

in Costa Mesa for a 21-day festival of blue ribbons, carnival rides,

rock music and more.

The fair is Orange County’s place to pluck a chicken, get

hypnotized, check out acrobats and cheer for swine.

As far as the fair is concerned, 2005 is the year of the avocado.

An assortment of the California cuisine staple will be displayed at

the fair’s Centennial Farm and fair guests can try the fruit in

deep-fried form at the Baja Blues Restaurant.

“We do have deep-fried avocados this year and it’s good,” fair

spokeswoman Lisa MacDonald said.

Last year’s fair drew a record 963,850 visitors. MacDonald said

there are no official projections for how many people will drop by

the fairgrounds this year, though fair organizers want to top the

1-million mark.

“Everybody’s saying that we’re going to pass a million this year,

and we’re certainly going to try,” MacDonald said.

Fair gates are set to open today at 10 a.m. Early birds can expect

free admission and parking until 11 a.m. Active duty military

personnel, police officers and firefighters can get into the fair

free with a guest until 6 p.m.

A sampling of fair attractions include four performances daily by

the Peking Acrobats and two shows a day by hypnotist Mark Yuzuik.

Gourmands can take in three separate shows featuring Food Network

chefs Alton Brown, Curtis Aiken and Dave Lieberman. Wine seminars are

also included in the fair’s schedule.

People in search of the fair’s wild side can check out the Alaskan

Racing Pigs and bull riding. Fans of motorcycle action can visit the

opening day’s 30th annual Speedway Fair Derby & Freestyle Motorcross

Jumping show at 8 p.m. Anyone searching for more mechanized madness

may want to visit the demolition derby events scheduled for Saturday

and Sunday.

As far as entertainment goes, Pacific Amphitheater events are

scheduled to open tonight with a concert by the B-52s. Other acts on

the schedule include pop star Hilary Duff, rocker Beck and old-school

Southern California punk acts X and the Vandals.

The fair will be open through July 31, excluding Mondays. The

fairgrounds are at 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. For more information on

fair events, schedules or prices, go to https://www.ocfair.com.