Today we took our annual trip to the L.A. County Fair in Pomona. For the first time, deciding not to face the drive and parking situation at the fair, I travelled via the Metrolink train. From Union Station, this trip took 46 minutes and drops you off at a shuttle which takes you straight to the entrance gate – an easy and enjoyable trip, well worth it. With tickets in hand, pre-purchased online, getting through the entrance was easy – we were right there as they opened the gates (did have to wait in a small, quick line).
On to our first stop, by tradition, a Hot-Dog-On-A-Stick and lemonade. Only just after ten on a Sunday morning, it was already way past 90 degrees out – so that lemonade really hit the spot after the walk to get there on the hot black asphalt that fills the grounds of the fair.
After our eats, we headed over to the Tapestry display (lowest level of the racetrack grandstand) where they have the homemade baked goods/canned goods and crafts on display from the crafting and baking competitions. This display used to be more interesting years ago, it’s rather bare-bones now. My favorite thing to see in there is the Tablescaping competition entries. Interesting, as always – but the building was SO hot it was hard to be in there very long – air conditioner just not working (it was like this last year too).
Needing to get a blast of some cool air on me, it was time for our yearly jaunt into the Millard Sheets museum. First up near the entrance was an exhibit on the history of California oranges. Hey, my great-great-great Grandfather, William Saunders, was mentioned in the display – yay, how cool! – because he introduced the navel orange to America.
After seeing everything to see in the museum, we headed on over into one of the big commercial buildings, where hawkers are pushing their wares – big time. There is a stage at one end of the building where we ended up seeing a show that was so hokey it was actually pretty entertaining. A sort of bad version of “Amateur Hour” or “The Gong Show” (without the gong), featuring a group of singing and slightly dancing kids (mainly girls) up there performing their hearts out – done with a good bit of enthusiasm (along with a mom/coach in front acting out the routine for the younger kids). Reminded me of those kiddie shows they put on in “Our Gang”/”The Little Rascals” shorts where a line of girls perform a routine, with loads of trouble keeping in sync. It was nice to see something so sort of old-fashioned and small town-ish in a big city Fair that has gone crazy overrun with commercial venues.
Trying out the different foods they offer at the Fair is obviously a must do – we tried several things during our day this year including Carne Asada soft tacos, egg roll and noodle dish from the Thai Cuisine place, and later a piece of Pepperoni pizza that really hit the spot. Everything we ate was real yummy.
Carne Asada Soft Tacos
Okay – 2:00 pm and it was time to do one of my favorite things we do at the Fair each year – a wine tasting class. Our class for today was called “Planet Bordeaux – Food Friendly & Pocket Friendly!”. Cool – they gave us six glasses of wine to sample, plus a little plate of nibbles (chicken, a wee mushroom turnover, olives) and another little plate of cheese and crackers. I like to do the wine tasting every year – this year’s class I thought was more interesting than usual, the wine guy who taught this (Mark A. Newman) was both informative and engaging. I liked the cheeses this year – tasty. Usually you can count on being chilly in the Wine and Spirits building here, but it was so, so hot today that the area was just not cooling off – it felt like we were doing the wine tasting in an outdoor saloon in the Tropics (which actually added some atmosphere to the experience!).
Next up, we headed over to the Fairplex grandstand to watch some horse races and indulge in some cocktails. Hubby made bets and kept me in drinks (Screwdrivers for today). It was more crowded than usual, being a Sunday and closing day (we usually go to the Fair on a weekday) – still plenty of seating all over the place though.
Closing out a day of eats with a big slice of pizza from Enzo’s Pizzeria – really hit the spot. Might go for some of this pizza again next year!
The heat today was absolutely intense (well over 100 degrees), but that didn’t stop the crowds from coming or us from having fun – we finished out our day heading back to the Metrolink train stop on the shuttle, waited for our train which arrived right on time – and headed for home. We didn’t forget to purchase our usual big jar of P-Nuttles (oh yum yum) before we left!