A Night at the Los Angeles County Fair, 2015 Edition

Deep-fried food, ferris wheels, more deep-fried food, circus acts and yes, another dose of deep-fried food. That's the Los Angeles County Fair, and the Franklin Avenue 4 enjoyed another balmy September evening this weekend taking it all in.



The view of the fair, which was divided into several parts: Carnival, The Farm (petting zoo, heritage mission, pig races and more), Shopping & Attractions, Kids' Zone, Outdoor Living, Home & Garden, Grandstand and Extreme Thrills (Go Karts and bungee jumps).



One of this year's food highlights (although I didn't try it) -- the Fireball-infused caramel banana donut. Not for kids.



I'd argue guacamole is fine on its own, but hey, why not.



I'm just gonna say it: I think you may be missing the point of a Slim Fast bar.



The line to get in the Fairplex was long on Friday night



A highlight: Riding the Sky Ride over the fair. (Think ski lift, but if you fall... there's no snow to cushion the blow).



Free "Live Shark Encounter" show at the "Beneath the Sea: An Underwater Adventure" attraction.



No one was eaten, as far as we can tell.



Another view, of the Kids' Zone (the Garden Railroad and kiddie rides)



The kids' favorite sites at the LA County Fair includes the massive Garden Railroad model train.



A Fox theatre replica at the model trains.



A "Big"-like step piano



Even the Doctor enjoys a good county fair.

Fried Food, and a Whole Lot More, at the LA County Fair

Another Los Angeles County Fair is now history. We battled rush-hour traffic on the 210 -- not an easy task -- on Friday evening, all the way down to Pomona, in order to take in the fair at least once before Sunday, when it shut down for another year. It's impossible to hit everything in one evening (particularly a warm Friday evening, when the Fairplex was packed), but we did a pretty good job with two kids in tow.

We focused particularly on kid attractions and rides, and there was no shortage of that -- from the shark demonstration to the Esmerala's Traveling Circus, and "Jurassic Planet" to "America's Kids." A few pics:


Site of the first-ever roller coaster experience for the Blogger Kid and Blogger Toddler 2.0. It was light-hearted kiddie-level roller coaster thrills, but I still had to hold on to the toddler (who might have slid out of his seat during the curve otherwise!).


This was no ordinary funnel cake. Mocha batter, covered with mocha crumbles, chocolate syrup, powdered sugar and whipped cream. (And from a vendor named "Fat Franky," no less.) So bad for you. Yet so amazing. Hey, when at the County Fair, right?


Speak of the devil... yeah, we hit Chicken Charlie's, and yes, the kids were keen on chicken and waffles. But the chicken is rotisserie, not fried. And Maria and I got hummus and pita with our chicken instead of fries or waffles.


Returning for another year, the "Jurassic Planet" exhibit is always a hit with the kids.


Bungee! No, we didn't try -- although I bet the Toddler 2.0 would have been game.


I'm sorry to say we were (a) too full and (b) not up for a stroke. But a maple bacon donut sounds like something we would have wanted to try.


No, we didn't turn around and eat a GIANT BLOCK OF FRIES SMUSHED TOGETHER. I asked the people at the table next to us if I could take this picture of their eats.


The Museum of Neon Art, soon to relocate to Glendale, had a presence at the fair as well, and hooked up some of its collection to decorate.


If PETA didn't like the City of Glendale's fake float elephant, I can pretty much assume they won't be a fan of this real-life elephant ride.


This kind of thing seems so stereotypical and County Fair cliche, yet here it is: Come See the Freakish-Sized Animals!


But I gotta admit, the shark show -- in which a trainer hops in the water and interacts with sharks -- was kind of fun to watch.


Blogger Kid's favorite part of the entire County Fair: The model railway.

A Day at the Hot Rod Races in Pomona

The rain nearly put a stop to this weekend's National Hot Rod Association Winternationals in Pomona -- and indeed, the event's Friday races had to be canceled. But luckily things were back in gear on Saturday, as we stopped by the Auto Club Raceway in Pomona to catch some of the action.

It was a little too cold and a little too loud for the kiddies, but we stayed long enough to see the "funny car" elimination round. The event also featured plenty of classic race cars on display and a tribute to one-time hot rod champ Don Prudhomme.

Some pics:


Considering how fast they're going, this was the best I could do in capturing a car.






A bonus License Plate of the Day: "Two Old Farts"

Our Day at the L.A. County Fair

All these years in Southern California, and we had never been to the Los Angeles County Fair. I've never been much of a fair kind of guy, and Pomona (where the Fairplex is located) seemed like too much of a hike.

But now that I've got kids, the Fair suddenly sounds like a nice excursion. And taking the 210 freeway, Pomona is not nearly as far as you think.

I came to the Fair with one goal in mind: I wasn't going to plop down much money for carnival rides. We live close enough to theme parks that riding a pricey carnival ride seems pointless.

I shouldn't have worried. There was enough to do and see that Blogger Kid didn't even push the issue. Instead, there was plenty of attractions right in his sweet spot: "Mojo's Jungle," featuring live insects, bugs, turtles and a bird show. "Jurassic Planet" features realistic dinosaurs -- so realistic that I'm sure that Blogger Kid believed me when I told him they weren't real.

There's also a huge pavilion with farm animals; a pirate play area; old steam engines; and Garden Railroad -- an acre of landscape with model trains speeding past miniature depictions of early California (such as missions, agriculture and more).



Then, of course, there's all that fried food. And food in general. None of it is anything special -- but there's something to be said for a complete lack of lines, as there are so many food options that no one has to wait. Also, for the adults, the fair features a Wine and Spirits marketplace.

Here are a few more pics from our day at the fair:


Pigs at "Fairview Farms," at the Big Red Barn


Kids dancing at the Plaza de las Américas


"Dead men tell no tales" at "A Pirate's Life"


Dinos at "Jurassic Planet" (title apparently cleared by the Fair lawyers)


Visitors check in


Snookie's Cookies tent -- yes, we got an ice cream cookie sandwich


Master of the pan flute


Sir Knight Blogger Kid at ""A Time Long Ago"


The Fair crowd


The kind of fire hydrant your dog dreams about


Corny bird show at "Mojo's Jungle"


Celebrating Mexican independence at the Flower & Garden Pavillion


Trains! Blogger Kid approves


Pink's on location

The L.A. County Fair continues through Oct. 3. Prices vary for tix; Adults 13+ are $12 on weekdays and $17 weekend. Group discounts are available, and kids and seniors are cheaper (with kids 5 and under free). Parking starts at $10.

Thanks to Daphne Wang and congrats to Franklin Avenue reader Elizabeth, who won tix to this year's Fair from us!

L.A. County Fair
Pomona Fairplex
1101 W. McKinley Ave.
Pomona, CA 91768