1.33 million turned out for 'Farm Fresh Fun' at OC Fair

By Luke MoneyStaff Writer

Aug. 16, 2017 2:25 PM PT

More than 1.3 million visitors got a taste of “Farm Fresh Fun” — and more than a few bit into something deep-fried or wrapped in bacon — during this year’s Orange County Fair, officials said Wednesday.

The 23-day event, which kicked off July 14 and ended Sunday, drew 1,334,753 people to the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa.

That’s down a bit from last year’s mark of 1,344,996 but still averages out to more than 58,000 visitors per day.

“The 2017 OC Fair was a tremendous success,” Michele Richards, vice president of business development for the Fair & Event Center, said in a statement. “It was wonderful to see the smiles on the faces of fairgoers as they enjoyed all that we had to offer. We can’t wait to see everyone back next year for more Farm Fresh Fun.”

As its theme suggested, a major emphasis for the 127th annual fair was to recognize the county’s agricultural legacy and educate the public about its continued importance.

Offerings such as livestock auctions and culinary demonstrations and competitions catered to that concept.

Next year’s theme hasn’t been unveiled, but fair officials have said that both the 2018 and 2019 editions also will carry an agricultural emphasis.

“That is truly making a difference through education, and that’s a key part of our mission,” Fair & Event Center Chief Executive Kathy Kramer said in a statement Wednesday.

Many visitors this year gave their stomachs a lesson in fair food.

Patrons gobbled 40,005 turkey legs from Juicys, munched 20,000 pounds of bacon from Bacon A-Fair and devoured four semi-trailers worth of cotton candy from RCS food vendors.

Chicken Charlie’s sold 6,000 fried peanut butter meatballs and 4,000 Krispy Kreme ice cream chicken sandwiches.

When they weren’t chowing down, fairgoers tested their intestinal fortitude on a collection of rides. The La Grande Wheel XL Ferris wheel, the biggest addition to the midway this year, was the most popular, according to the fair.

Visitors also got in touch with their artistic sides, molding 3 tons of clay at Muddy’s Studio and crafting more than 300 paper flowers, vegetables and butterflies for an art exhibit.

Crowds packed dozens of shows at the Pacific Amphitheatre and The Hangar, while others took in the action at events such as demolition derby and full-contact jousting.

This year’s fair also entered the virtual realm, with more than 300 gamers battling it out in the iBuyPower GameFest, the fair’s inaugural e-sports festival.

Fairgoers also were in a giving mood this year, donating almost 29 tons of food, 94,078 children’s books, 43,995 pounds of clothing and 104,000 back-to-school items for area causes.

More than 43,000 people visited the Heroes Hall veterans museum during its first fair-time run and wrote 4,500 postcards that will be sent to active-duty military personnel and veterans in VA hospitals.