Los Angeles County Fair
Coordinates: 34°4′56.367″N 117°45′57.276″W / 34.08232417°N 117.76591°W
| L.A. County Fair | |
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 The L.A. County Fair at dusk in Pomona. |
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| Dates | 30 days (starts Labor Day weekend) |
| Location(s) | Pomona, California |
| Years active | 1922 - Present |
| Attendance | 1,374,673 (2010) |
| Genre | County fair |
| Website | L.A. County Fair |
The inaugural Los Angeles County Fair, now known as the L.A. County Fair, opened Oct. 17, 1922, and ran for five days through October 21, 1922, in a former beet field in Pomona, California. Highlights of the Fair’s first year were harness racing, chariot races and an airplane wing-walking exhibition.[1]
Now in its 87th year, the Fair is the largest county fair in the U.S. Fair attendance has topped one million people in every year but one since 1948, and the 4th[2] largest fair in the United States. The 2010 Fair attendance was 1,374,673.
Since its inception, the Fair has been the link between California’s agriculture industry and the public, providing a community gathering place where people learn about California’s heritage and enjoy traditional Fair food, activities and entertainment. In recent years the fair has moved away from such agricultural heritage by abandoning livestock competitions for area growers and ranchers in favor of hired petting zoos. In addition to the 13-acre (53,000 m2) Ray Cammack Shows carnival,[3] the Fair has an operational farm, an outdoor miniature garden railroad, California’s Heritage Square historical exhibit and America’s Kids-Education Expo, where school children discover A Day Full of Learning Cleverly Disguised as Fun. The End of Summer Concert Series features 19 nights of first-run musical entertainment, demolition derby and freestyle motocross.[4]
The Fair is operated by the Los Angeles County Fair Association, a not-for-profit 501(c)(5) corporation. The Fair is held each September on 543 acres (2.20 km2) of fairgrounds known as Fairplex (L.A. County Fair, hotel and exposition complex). The Fair generates a national economic impact of more than $250 million, roughly the equivalent of hosting a Super Bowl every year.[5]
The 2011 L.A. County Fair will run September 3–October 2, closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Opening Day is Saturday, Sept. 3 of Labor Day Weekend. Thoroughbred horse racing at Fairplex Park is Sept. 8-26, closed Monday 12th, 19th and Tuesdays.
Fairplex also includes the Sheraton Fairplex hotel, the Sheraton KOA/RV Park, Fairplex Park, a 5/8 mile horse racing track, the Millard Sheets Center for the Arts,[6] the Child Development Center at Fairplex, the Fairplex railway exhibit,[7] Barretts Equine Ltd., a thoroughbred horse racing auction facility[8] and the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum.[9]
[edit] History
- These grounds were once used as a Wartime Civilian Control Administration assembly center during World War II. Japanese Americans were held here before being sent to internment camps. There is no historical marker at the site. It was occupied from May 7 to August 24, 1942, and held more than 5,000 people. There are few, if any, buildings left from the original assembly center.[10]
- The first L.A. County Fair was held in 1922 at the Los Angeles Fairgrounds in Pomona. The grounds, now known as Fairplex (short for L.A. County Fair, Hotel and Exposition Complex), are home to hundreds of other year-round events and activities other than the Fair. The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum is located on the grounds, as well as the Sheraton Fairplex hotel, the Rail Giants Museum Fairplex railway exhibit,[11] and the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.[12]
[edit] References
- ^ 1922 L.A. County Fair
- ^ http://www.carnivalwarehouse.com/lists/2010list.pdf
- ^ Ray Cammack Shows
- ^ End of Summer Concert Series
- ^ Fairplex Economic Impact Report: "Generating Economic Value for Generations"
- ^ Millard Sheets Center for the Arts
- ^ [1]
- ^ Barretts Equine Ltd
- ^ Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum
- ^ Japanese American internment#Civilian Assembly Centers
- ^ [2]
- ^ [3]
