The theme was "A Fair to Remember"...and like the several years past, we parked in the Horse Park and took the free shuttle...
We were there early enough...
Bert and I were pretty much solo since TC hung out with one of her good friends...
The entrance with a mock California Tower and Dome, which fit in with the fair's theme, since both structures are a century old and reside in Balboa Park, the site of the Panama California Exposition in 1915.
Vendors were still getting ready. The calm before the storm.
Bert and I made note to check out this exhibit later that day (it was very educational).
Some of the sights...
Prepped vegetables ready to be grilled.
Food booths featuring fried foods, of course.
These donuts were "Texas" size. I don't think I could have handled this at all.
The fair was in full swing by noon time.
TC sent us this photo from her phone while in the Ferris Wheel. Great view!
The fair isn't just about eating fried food and sugary snacks. There are also exhibits featuring animals, livestock, artwork, and crafts and hobbies. This particular day of the Agrifair focused on Poultry, hence all of my photos of fancy roosters and chickens (I loved that black and white featured one! Very optic!).
I know that the Filipino lolos and uncles who see this are thinking, "Sabong!" (cockfighting). I believe these were Bantam roosters which are used in Sabong, which is illegal in San Diego.
Loved their feathery heads!
Goats being milked..
The Home and Hobby exhibits are always fascinating to me, especially the collections which are different every year.
Mini folding books:
SD Renegades memorabilia - This is a rollerderby team.
Myrtle wood Christmas cards:
Floaty pens. I remember one of my friends had a 'nasty' one, where if you tilted it on way, a man was wearing swim trunks; when tilted the other way, well...you know.
These were cool, vintage guidebooks for past World's Fairs.
Shark egg purses:
Dryer lint PLUS Cat Hair. Lovely. WTF man,.
Souvenir spoons:
This person really likes anything candy corn related...
Another interesting item were these folding fans supplied by funeral homes, not only to cool down mourners (this was pre-air conditioning) but also to "advertise" their business.
Britney Spears stuff. I guess you can submit anything.
Vintage glass candy dishes. These were so pretty; I liked the little loop each one had.
Penguins of Madagascar (we liked the movies!):
Here ya go:
Vintage bar sets:
Yelp swag:
Vintage cookbooks:
Postcards and memorabilia from various bars and restaurants including the Bali Hai on Shelter Island. The brown head with a bone through it's nose used to be a statue in front of the Bali Hai. I have a photo of my dad next to it when he first came to the US after joining the Navy (early 60's).
Table settings or shall I say Table Scapes? Sandra Lee would go nuts.
Rogue bottles. I like their Nut Brown and their Chocolate Stout. The specialty bottles with weird flavors on the bottom are more expensive. I once bought the Voodoo Donut (pink bottle) for a friend not knowing it would cost $13!
One of the cakes I liked...
In the garden area, there was a path to a (cough) hipster bar. Got $17 to drop on a custom cocktail?
Your drinks can be garnished with fresh herbs straight from the pot.
Also in the garden area were educational exhibits like this...
plus beautiful succulents in every shape imaginable...
More educational profiles on the surviving structures from the Panama California Exposition of 1915.
There was also a mock Botanical Building. Bert was excited because he recognized the featured artist who did the chalk rendition of the reflecting pool. He went to college with her.
As we passed by the rides area, all we heard were screams.
The tunnel leads to the other side of the tracks, literally. There is a Mexican village there with folks selling their wares (saw some beautiful beaded earrings there), as well as the kiddie rides and the Infield Garden and the World of Horses, where we bumped into TC and her friend.
I always enjoy seeing their lush gardens and feel so envious. Here are some patches featuring pumpkin, chard and hops. Except that the chard was a booth advertising Aquaponics.
Vintage farm equipment:
Kiddie carousel:
Walking across the racetrack (two years ago people had to cross a bridge) to get back to the main area of the fair...
Keep in mind that we snacked in between.
We briefly checked out the exhibit halls with hot tubs and the flower and floral arrangement competitions.
Floral arrangement (one of many we admired that day):
The Fair exhibit
Everyday in the newspaper, they have been featuring cool stories and photos about San Diego and Balboa Park. There was a big wall with many of the published pages. Yay, the Beatles!
"100 Memories" is the name of the series. If you get the newspaper, it's usually in the A section.
Bert and I didn't think Lady Liberty's face looked like it was supposed to. It didn't. But originally, the hand holding the torch and the head were featured in a past World's Fair in order to gain funding for the whole statue.
A mockup of a vintage kitchen with everything in lavender.
My dad would have loved seeing this Mustang. He had a red 1967. I have a photo of myself next to it on my wedding day. He originally had a blue one back in the late 60's but sold it so that was his mid-life crisis car.
The exhibit had posters of the various structures in Balboa Park that were part of the Panama Exposition. One thing about some of these exhibits was one side was well lit and I wasn't aware there was more info on the back. Because it was dark, I didn't think anything was there. They could have done the lighting a little better. There was also a cool photo exhibit by a woman who visited several World's Fair sites and documented the surviving buildings and structures. The informational placard was situated way down at the bottom so you would literally have to crouch to read it. Eye level next time please. Duh.
This building looks like it would fit right in at Balboa Park. Same architectural styles.
And in this building were the fine art exhibits which we haven't checked out in previous fairs. There is certainly a lot of talent out there. These paintings were part of the fair's theme and focused on Balboa Park.
Some of the other art works I enjoyed:
This was hilarious. Wow. Numbers 1, 3, and 5. And what's that thing about not loitering in cream stores (#4)?
One last look...
Back to the horse park while atop a double decker bus!
Such a great fair this year! I'm glad we were able to enjoy it on such a nice day.
Who else went to the Fair?
Cathy has two posts: "Before It's Open" and "It's Open!"
along with JS from Sun Diego Eats
www.sdfair.com
Up next, what we ate...
6 comments:
Super great post!!! You've done what I always mean to do but am always too exhausted when it's time to sit down and organize the photos and explanations. Thank you for noticing and posting about the exhibits.
Thank you Cathy for your kind words. I always appreciate the opportunity to go to the fair. This was an epic post and I had to cut things down, but I'm so anal and like to include everything I liked. The exhibits were really great this year except the crappy lighting from behind.
Such a thorough post! I think after I wandered out of the wine tasting area I saw the food stands then walked over to the games and rides and thought ok I've seen it all. Little did I know there is more to the fair than deep fried foods and carnival games. Haha. The random collections seem fun to peruse by wish I had caught that!
Hi JS - Since I don't do rides and games or eat too much of the fried crap, I look at everything else, which is more interesting to me. Ever since I've been going to the fair (back when it used to be called the Del Mar Fair), I've always been fascinated by the collections and exhibits. It's different every year and there are always cool and weird collections to check out. The fair is such great way for folks to share their talents, whether it's recipes (that are judged), crafts, furniture making, even junior high and high school yearbooks, everything under the sun is at the fair for all to enjoy and appreciate.
Boy you saw a lot more than I did, haha! Kudos to you! I did see this post before I went (but forgot to comment) and so that's why I went to see the kooky collections. I totally want to submit my own if there's crap like dryer lint and cat hair.... gross.
I wish we saw the doggie races though! we saw the turkey races a few years before and it was pretty funny!
one of my old teachers from junior high submitted a collection. it was the one with hotel travel kits (stuff like little sewing kits and stuff) from her travels. last year, she submitted her beatles record collection. she was a young girl when they came out. some of the collections are quite fascinating and educational. others are pure crap.
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