 All is not fair at the Fair
 K.C. ALFRED / Union-Tribune
Jon Sprague of Steam Powered Giraffe ... a mime, music and
comedy troupe based in San Diego ... performed yesterday at the
San Diego County Fair.
|
1.2 million attend event, but some say business was down
July 7 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
DEL MAR —
To some, the 2008 San Diego County Fair, which closed yesterday in Del Mar, was exceptional. To others, it was, well, less than fair.
With a weakened economy, high gas prices and the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines last month delaying the event's start and shortening its run, fair officials weren't sure what to expect. But through Saturday, attendance was up about 400 people a day over last year. More than 1.2 million people passed through the gates this year, shy of the record set in 2007, when the fair was open a day longer.
More news from the fair
DEL MAR, July 9 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Fair attendance misses 2007's record mark: DEL MAR
–
This year's San Diego County Fair attendance was 30,000 short of last year's record-setting crowds.
The 21-day fair, which ended Sunday, drew 1,235,698 people, compared with last year's 1,265,997, fair officials said. Still, the average daily attendance was 58,843, the largest in fair history.
July 6 (UNION-TRIBUNE)San Diego County Fair: In the ribbons: Jon Peterson: Judges' choice: Jon Peterson's light ale, called Kolsch, earned him a Best of Show. He describes his recipe as an ale originally made in Cologne, Germany, that is brewed at cooler temperatures.
July 5 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
San Diego County Fair:
Judges' choice: Michael Steirnagle's oil painting titled “Waiter” earned him the Coordinator's Award in the exhibition of art's people class. He said that when he travels, he takes photos and sometimes uses them to create oil paintings. He found this particular waiter in Prescott, Ariz.
July 5 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
San Diego County Fair:
Judges' choice: Michael Steirnagle's oil painting titled “Waiter” earned him the Coordinator's Award in the exhibition of art's people class. He said that when he travels, he takes photos and sometimes uses them to create oil paintings. He found this particular waiter in Prescott, Ariz.
July 5 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
San Diego County Fair:
Judges' choice: Michael Steirnagle's oil painting titled “Waiter” earned him the Coordinator's Award in the exhibition of art's people class. He said that when he travels, he takes photos and sometimes uses them to create oil paintings. He found this particular waiter in Prescott, Ariz.
July 5 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
San Diego County Fair:
Judges' choice: Michael Steirnagle's oil painting titled “Waiter” earned him the Coordinator's Award in the exhibition of art's people class. He said that when he travels, he takes photos and sometimes uses them to create oil paintings. He found this particular waiter in Prescott, Ariz.
DEL MAR, July 4 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
County fair ending on a high note: Heading into its final weekend, the San Diego County Fair is on target to meet or exceed last year's record attendance. Fair officials speculated that high gasoline prices hovering near $4.50 per gallon may have provided an incentive for summer vacationers to stay closer to home.
July 4 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
In the ribbons: Matt Friedman :His educational project “Earth, Water & Fire, The Connection,” earned Matt Friedman best of show in Kids' Best. The 12-year-old Encinitas resident tested water and soil samples around Lake Hodges, comparing areas that had been burned by wildfire with areas that had not been burned.
July 2 (UNION-TRIBUNE)Fair gets a dressing down for icon's outfit: An old editor of mine telephoned last month with one last assignment. “Go check out the statue,” Gary Mortenson told me. “See if they haven't dressed it up again.” July 2 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
In the ribbons: Stephen Streib: Judges' choice: A boat-shaped baby cradle earned Bonita resident Stephen Streib best of class and best of division honors in the Student Showcase, General Woodworking. Streib, 61, took his classes at Helix Adult School. The cradle is made using boat-building methods of 100 years ago.
July 1 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
In The Ribbons: Craig Thibodeau: Judges' choice: Craig Thibodeau won big in the Design in Wood Show. His art deco table took first place in the traditional furniture department, his dogwood buffet took third place in the veneering/marquetry furniture department, and his cherry sideboard earned him the Master Woodworker's trophy.
June 30 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
In The Ribbons: Debbie Grady: Judges' choice: The white sangiovese that Debbie Grady and husband Lenny Edelman make took best of show in specialty wines in the winemaking category.
DEL MAR, June 29 (UNION-TRIBUNE)Fair draws Latinos from U.S., Mexico: It took the Estrada family of Tijuana more than four hours to get to the San Diego County Fair last Sunday, factoring in two hours of sitting in border traffic, then a quick break for lunch in San Ysidro en route to Del Mar.
June 29 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
In The Ribbons: Tim Mccreary : The off-road race buggy built by Tim McCreary's auto shop classes at Vista High School took a best of class and best of show in the Student Showcase Division. It ran in the Baja 1000.
June 28 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
In The Ribbons: Cristina Medrano-huffer : 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.
June 27 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
In The Ribbons: Johanna Arrendondo: Judges' choice: The pastel portrait of an old Tibetan woman earned Johanna Arrendondo, 17, best of class and best of show in the Student Showcase Pastel Division.
June 26 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
June 25 (UNION-TRIBUNE)Thrills, chills and safety: DEL MAR – It's hard to score a perfect safety record when you're intentionally swirling, dropping or flinging people around like human yo-yos at a county fair.
June 26 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
In the ribbons: Pinto Jaxen : A photo of a cow taken by San Carlos resident Pinto Jaxen, 8, earned him the Coady Family Award in the Kids' Best Division. He said he took the photo of cows behind a fence by attracting them with grass so they would walk over to him.
June 25 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Fair-goer confesses: 'I left my soul on this ride': A procession of wobbly-legged passengers disembarking offered little comfort to those waiting to hop on one of the most intense rides in the Fun Zone. “I'm scared,” a teenage boy confessed as the ride operator pulled the safety harness down over his torso.
June 25 (UNION-TRIBUNE)In the ribbons: Tanya Franchak: Judges' choice: Pecan bars dipped in chocolate earned Tanya Franchak of Santee the best of division in cookies. Franchak said her cookies have been popular at bake sales at St. John of Damascus Orthodox Church in Poway, so she decided to enter the recipe in the fair this year.
June 24 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
In the ribbons: Mary Shoger: Judges' choice: The winner of the Rene Bohn Award is Mary Shoger of Oceanside, for her black and red heart scarf. The Bohn award is given for superior craftsmanship.
June 22 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
In the ribbons: Tara Mottola: Judges' choice: Tara Mottola of Dulzura earned a first place and best of show for woodworking in the Kids' Best division for her walking stick made from manzanita damaged by a 2007 wildfire, which came within 100 yards of her home.
June 21 (UNION-TRIBUNE)In the ribbons: J.B. Reynolds: Judges' choice: La Mesa resident J.B. Reynolds won the award for Most Unusual Collection with his “Things I've Found Near Bus Stops.” The collection of about 100 items includes a map of San Diego County showing where the bus stops are located and where the items were found.
DEL MAR, June 21 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Ag chief lists reasons for rising food prices:
Rising food prices are caused by expensive fuel and increased food consumption, not by the use of corn to develop ethanol, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture said yesterday.
June 20 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
In the ribbons: Chelsea Mottola: Judges' choice: Using charred wood from the October wildfire that burned within 100 yards of her home, Dulzura resident Chelsea Mottola took a first place in woodworking in the Kids' Best department for her guitar stand.
June 19 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
In the ribbons: Debra Kolp: Judges' choice: Rancho Peñasquitos resident Debra Kolp earned a first place and best in show in the miscellaneous preserved food department of the Home and Hobby division for her Thai Hot and Sweet Dipping Sauce.
June 18 (UNION-TRIBUNE)In the ribbons: Jeff Davidson: Judges' choice: Santee resident Jeff Davidson earned a first place in keeping with the fair's theme, “Summer of Sports,” with his photograph titled “Little League.”
June 17 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
In the ribbons: Janice Ellertson: Judges' choice: Rancho San Diego resident Janice Ellertson earned a first place in the Professional Wearable Art section of the Home and Hobby division for her quilted jacket with a mermaid theme.
DEL MAR, June 16 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
No traffic calamity as fair attendance close to last year's: With doomsday predictions of freeway gridlock sinking like Tiger Woods' match-tying putt on the 18th hole yesterday, San Diego handled both the U.S. Open golf tournament and the first weekend of the county fair very coolly, thank you.
DEL MAR, 7:41 p.m. June 14 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Thousands throng to county fair on opening day: What is it about the county fair? Is it the wide variety of deep-fried food? The yells at the kiddy rides? The students showing off projects? The oddly appealing ostrich races? Or giggles from fans at a reggae concert?
DEL MAR, June 14 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
If they fry it, we will buy it at the fair: If you seek drama, suspense and thrills in golf, the U.S. Open is your ticket. Those same ingredients on a plate? Head to the San Diego County Fair – the U.S. Open Wide.
June 14 (UNION-TRIBUNE)San Diego County Fair – Saturday, June 14:
June 13 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Through the years, county fair has mixed tradition, innovation: At the first San Diego County Fair, farmers competed to come up with the best gopher trap, the finest wool stockings and the tastiest salt pork.
June 13 (UNION-TRIBUNE)Let there be music – and other stuff: P Grandstand Stage: More than 50 musical acts will perform at the fair this year with the biggest names on the Grandstand Stage. June 12 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Help yourself at the smorgasbord: From food, flowers and fun zones to concerts, collections and cattle and, of course, much more, it's time for the San Diego County Fair again. This year's theme is “Summer of Sports,” and exhibits, interactive activities and visiting sports stars will add to the fun.
June 8 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Drivers, beware of crazy traffic: Tiger groupies and pot-bellied pig fans, brace yourselves. Organizers of the U.S. Open and the San Diego County Fair are trying to avoid a clash of crowds when the two hugely popular events overlap this week. The last two days of the golf championship at Torrey Pines Golf Course, Saturday and Sunday, coincide with the opening of the Del Mar fair 5½ miles north.
May 31 (UNION-TRIBUNE)S.D. fair stars' requests run from sedate to silly: Pop-music diva Fergie requires a gallon of fresh-squeezed orange juice, while her backup band can't survive without a box of Lucky Charms. May 14 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Fair shelling out $270,000 for performer Fergie: DEL MAR – Hip-hop singer Fergie will be paid $270,000 for her appearance at the San Diego County Fair next month, the largest sum the fair has paid a performer for a grandstand show. DEL MAR, April 17 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Renovating the fairgrounds: Adiós, Don Diego. The landmark clock tower with its dashing figure of the county fair's longtime ambassador could face the wrecking ball at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. Dec. 7 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Historical home may be moved back downtown: DEL MAR – Behind the fire station, in a back lot at the Del Mar Fairgrounds that gets filled with nursery displays each summer during the county fair, there sits a piece of Del Mar history. Feb. 10, 2008 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
'Don Diego' welcomed fairgoers, crowned beauty queens for decades: For more than three decades, the name Don Diego was synonymous with the San Diego County Fair. FAIR FOOD, Aug. 21, 2007 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Trans fat gets the boot at some fairs: The deep-fried Combo Plate may be a little more healthful this year at the Great Indiana State Fair. So say the fair's leaders, who, taking a step rarely seen in the realm of corn dogs and fried pickles, have banned oils with trans fats from all the fryers that line the grounds here. A San Diego considered such a ban but decided not to go there yet. DEL MAR, July 6, 2007 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
A record 1,265,997 attended S.D. County Fair in 2007: The gates of the San Diego County Fair closed behind the last departing patron yesterday at 1 a.m.
| Sponsored Links | ||
|
|
