Judges' choice: San Diegan Cristina Medrano-Huffer earned the award for Most Educational Collection for her group of about 80 medicines and toiletries from the 1920s and early 1930s.

Background: Medrano-Huffer, 67, has been collecting for about 30 years and finds bottles, tins, boxes and cans in antique stores, antique fairs, swap meets and on the Internet. She is fascinated by disclaimers such as, “contains no cocaine, morphine or any of their derivatives.”

How she got started: She saw a collection in someone's home and thought it would be an interesting thing to do.

Comment: “I love to read the ingredients and directions how to take them. They are so innocent.”

Tip for learning more: Keep your eyes open.

TODAY'S PICKS

Summer Concert Series: Fourth Annual Gospel Festival featuring Tye Tribbett & G.A. and Byron Cage, 7 p.m., free with fair admission.

Summer of Sports Exhibit: San Diego Padres Day. For a list of players, go to the Fair's Web site, www.sdfair.com/fair, What's New Section.

Highlights: Commotion By the Ocean Motorcycle Ride to the Fair and Cycle Display, ongoing throughout the day near the Fun Zone; Pie Eating Contest, noon, Plaza Stage; The Cured (tribute to The Cure), 9 p.m., Coors Light Rock On Stage.

FAIR FACTS

Through July 6 at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd. Gates are open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Admission: adults, $12; seniors 62 and older, $6; children 6 to 12, $6; children 5 and younger, free.

Information: (858) 793-5555; (858) 755-1161; www.sdfair.com/fair.

On-site parking: cars and motorcycles, $9; recreational vehicles, $15; preferred parking, $15, no motor homes.

Off-site parking: free, with shuttles from 9 a.m. to midnight. Del Mar Horsepark, 14550 El Camino Real, daily; MiraCosta College San Elijo campus and Torrey Pines High School, weekends and July 4.

Public transportation: hourly buses to and from Escondido Transit Center. A shuttle between the Solana Beach Train Station and the fair leaves every 25 minutes. Passengers with a Breeze bus or Coaster train ticket receive a $1.75 fair admission discount at the west gate. Information: (760) 966-6500 or www.gonctd.com

NEWSROOM
AT THE FAIR

The San Diego Union-Tribune's  Newsroom at the Fair exhibit is in the Paddock Lounge next to Plaza de Mexico near the Grandstand entrance.

Meet Wheels editor Mark Maynard from 1 to 4 p.m.

Explore the technology that brings you the daily newspaper, Today's Local News,  Enlace,  multimedia site SignOnSanDiego.com and AmplifySD.com, the all-San Diego music online radio station.

Tune to “U-T in the Community” and “Community Spotlight” on SignOn Radio LIVE, hosted by Drew Schlosberg on Tuesdays and Fridays (except July 4).

Online: For fair news and information, go to fair.uniontrib.com