DETAILS CRISSY PASCUAL / Union-Tribune Preparations are under way for the San Diego County Fair, which begins Saturday. Robert Whennen, a fair employee, walked past a display of merchandise huts. San Diego County Fair Theme: Summer of Sports. Includes sports-related exhibits and activities, talks by professional and Olympic athletes, and more. When: Saturday-July 6, closed June 16 and 23. Gates open 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Where: Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd. Admission: Adults, $12; seniors 62 and older, $6; children 6 to 12, $6; children 5 and younger, free. On-site parking: Cars and motorcycles, $9; recreational vehicles, $15; preferred parking, $15 (no motor homes). Off-site parking: Free, with shuttles to the fairgrounds. Daily at Horsepark Equestrian Center, Via de la Valle at El Camino Real, east of Interstate 5. Weekends and July 4 at MiraCosta College in Cardiff, Interstate 5 and Manchester Avenue and Torrey Pines High School, Del Mar Heights Road. Public transit: Hourly buses to and from Escondido Transit Center. A shuttle between the Solana Beach Train Station and the fair leaves every 25 minutes. Transit information, (760) 966-6500 or www.gonctd.com Information: sdfair.com

It's time to gorge on buttered sticky buns, listen to amateurs calling hogs and watch sales representatives hawk Ginsu knives and Miracle Mops.

The San Diego County Fair opens Saturday, a 21-day extravaganza that costs nearly $139.5 million to put together.

Just eight months ago, the 360-acre fairgrounds was a disaster-relief center for horses and people evacuated during the October 2007 wildfires.

This weekend, it becomes what Del Mar Fairgrounds General Manager Tim Ferrell modestly calls “the greatest indoor-outdoor show on Earth.”

The folks at the 22nd District Agricultural Association, a state agency that operates the fairgrounds, have spared no expense to make the 2008 fair as varied and lively as last year's.

They're paying $270,000 alone for pop star Fergie to perform for no longer than 90 minutes.

And if Fergie doesn't float your buoy, they've booked reggae, Latin, rock and every genre under the sun. An estimated 1,600 entertainment acts will let the good times roll on nine stages.

But it's athletics that will take center stage at this year's “Summer of Sports” themed fair.

A specific sport will be showcased each day. There will be Surf Day, Golf Day, Little League Day . . . and so on.

Most of the sports-themed entertainment will take place at a 20,000-square-foot exhibit hall near the Pat O'Brien Gate off Jimmy Durante Boulevard.

The hall has been decked out with sports memorabilia including a display of Olympic medals and Sports Illustrated magazine covers featuring athletes with a San Diego connection.

Interactive exhibits include life-size photo cutouts of sports heroes, a putting green, punching bags and basketball hoops.

Nearly every sport from table tennis to roller derby will be represented.

“Every age and demographic can find something that appeals to them,” said Katie Phillips, the fair's exhibits manager.

Olympic and professional athletes will be on hand daily for live radio interviews and audience question-and-answer sessions. Shawne Merriman of the Chargers and former Padre and Baseball Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn are among the 200 athletes who will be available to meet and greet.

Merriman will make his appearance Sunday.

Golf pros will offer tips on straightening out hooks and slices.

“Our goal is to give the public an inside view of the sports world that they can't get from watching TV,” Phillips said.

In between all the hero worship, fairgoers can sample a potpourri of county fair fare, such as tasting beer made by 200 craft brewers or deep-fried Snickers bars.

The fair is also a participatory event, where 24,000 children exhibit school-related projects or enter their livestock in shows. Thousands more adults enter contests. Among this year's competitions are best tailgate party recipe, best homegrown fruit and vegetable, and the most creative use of Malt-O-Meal cereal.

With the U.S. Open golf tournament taking place at nearby Torrey Pines Golf Course, traffic and parking will be dicey.

Surveys show that approximately 92 percent of those attending the fair are from San Diego County. Last year's fair attendance of 1,265,997 was a record.

Fairgoers can avoid the congestion as well as the $9 parking fee ($15 for recreational vehicles) by using one of four remote lots and taking a shuttle to the fairgrounds.

The fair is offering numerous ways for families on a budget to cut their costs. Frugal fairgoers who want to bring their own food can leave their coolers for safekeeping at the Visitor Services office.

A smattering of food vendors interviewed this week say they are holding the line on prices for such fair favorites as fried zucchini, corn dogs and fish tacos.

“Our prices are the same; we haven't raised a thing,” said Cyrese Platis, whose family operates three food stands featuring Greek, Mediterranean and Mexican cuisine.