La County Fair
Highlights of the Fair’s first year were harness racing, chariot races and an airplane wing-walking exhibit.
Now in its 86th year, the Fair is the largest county fair in the U.S. Fair attendance has topped 1 million people in all but one year since 1948.
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 addition to the 13-acre 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 and the Adrenaline Nights series includes 15 nights of first-run entertainment.
The Fair is operated by the Los Angeles County Fair Association, a not-for-profit 501(c)(5) corporation.
The Fair is an 18-day event held each September on 543 acres of fairgrounds known as Fairplex (L.A. The Fair generates a national economic impact of more than $250 million, roughly the equivalent of hosting a Super Bowl every year.
The 2008 L.A.
Horse racing at Fairplex Park runs September 5-22, closed Tuesdays only.
Fairplex also includes the Sheraton Fairplex hotel, the Sheraton KOA/RV Park, Fairplex Park, a 5/8ths mile horse racing track, the Millard Sheets Center for the Arts, the Child Development Center at Fairplex, Barretts Equine Ltd., a thoroughbred horse racing auction facility and the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum.
Trivia
It's a myth that Walt Disney originally planned on having Disneyland built in Pomona, but the city council declined his offer, fearing that the park would not succeed and would cause the city to go into debt. According to Matthew Tresaugue, former reporter for the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, it was one of 71 considered cities, but was ruled out due to temperature extremes, i.e.
too hot in summer and too cold at night.
These grounds were once used as a WCCA assembly center during World War II. There are few, if any, buildings left from the original assembly center.
The first L.A.
County Fair was held in 1922 at the Los Angeles Fairgrounds in Pomona. The grounds, now known as Fairplex, are home to many other events and activities other than the Fair.