There’s (almost) nothing better than a county fair! While Southern California’s Orange County isn’t exactly rural, there were plenty of pigs, cattle, rabbits, horses, etc., to show off and with which to win blue ribbons.
The big difference at this first post-Covid fair is that attendance this year is limited to 45,000 people per day, and all tickets must be purchased beforehand online, as none are available at the gate. It wasn’t extremely crowded, as we attended on a weekday during the day. It looks pretty empty in the photos, but there were plenty of people in food lines and looking at exhibits.
As you can see from the photos, the day was perfect. There was all the crazy food (Shrimp Ramen Burrito with Scallions and Funyuns? Puffy Tacos, including Vampiro Tacos?), all the crazy midway games, the crazy resident psychic, people walking around dressed as an orange (it is Orange County, after all) and a strawberry, and the stilt people. There is the pig who just gave birth – as you can see, she is exhausted, while the two piglet siblings in front were wrestling and having fun. The steer had his horns capped to keep them from getting split hitting against the metal gates of the pen as well as to protect the other steer. The arts and crafts were colorful, as you can see from the quilts, and we loved the playful Embroidered Women! It was fun to be out in the world again, enjoying the small pleasures of rides, fair food, exhibits, and crowds. The world as we knew it is slowly returning.
