Los Angeles County Fair
Coordinates: 34°4′56.367″N 117°45′57.276″W / 34.08232417°N 117.76591°W / 34.08232417; -117.76591
| L.A. County Fair | |
|---|---|
The L.A. County Fair at dusk in Pomona. |
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| Dates | 30 days (starts Labor Day weekend) |
| Location(s) | Pomona, California |
| Years active | 1922 - 1941, 1948 - Present, No Fair during WWII, reopened 1948 |
| Attendance | 1,374,673 (2010) |
| Genre | County fair |
| Website | L.A. County Fair |
The inaugural Los Angeles County Fair, now known as the L.A. County Fair, opened Oct. 17, 1922, and ran for five days through October 21, 1922, in a former beet field in Pomona, California. Highlights of the Fair’s first year were harness racing, chariot races and an airplane wing-walking exhibition.
Now in its 90th year, the Fair is the largest county fair in the U.S. Fair attendance has topped one million people in every year but one since 1948, and the 4th largest fair in the United States. The 2010 Fair attendance was 1,374,673.
Since its inception, the Fair has been the link between California’s agriculture industry and the public, providing a community gathering place where people learn about California’s heritage and enjoy traditional Fair food, activities and entertainment. In recent years the fair has moved away from such agricultural heritage by abandoning livestock competitions for area growers and ranchers in favor of hired petting zoos. In addition to the 13-acre (53,000 m2) Ray Cammack Shows carnival, the Fair has an operational farm, an outdoor miniature garden railroad, California’s Heritage Square historical exhibit and America’s Kids-Education Expo, where school children discover A Day Full of Learning Cleverly Disguised as Fun. The End of Summer Concert Series features 19 nights of first-run musical entertainment, demolition derby and freestyle motocross.
The Fair is operated by the Los Angeles County Fair Association, a not-for-profit 501(c)(5) corporation. The Fair is held each September on 543 acres (2.20 km2) of fairgrounds known as Fairplex (L.A. County Fair, hotel and exposition complex). The Fair generates a national economic impact of more than $250 million, roughly the equivalent of hosting a Super Bowl every year.
The 2012 L.A. County Fair will run August 31-September 30, closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Opening Day is Friday, Aug. 31 of Labor Day Weekend. Thoroughbred horse racing at Fairplex Park is Sept. 7-23, closed Monday 10th, 17th and Tuesdays.
Fairplex also includes the Sheraton Fairplex hotel, the Sheraton KOA/RV Park, Fairplex Park, a 5/8 mile horse racing track, the Millard Sheets Center for the Arts, the Child Development Center at Fairplex, the Fairplex railway exhibit, Barretts Equine Ltd., a thoroughbred horse racing auction facility and the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum.
Read more about Los Angeles County Fair: History
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