A Day at the Ventura County Fair: First Impressions of Opening Day

By Tim Pompey

clinic times; font-size: 16px;”>Opening day at the Ventura County Fair and it feels like the entire world has arrived at Seaside Park to wander the streets, health eat food, ambulance play games, enjoy the rides, catch the music, and generally imbibe from one of those mythical days of summer. Except this is no myth. The Ventura County Fair has existed in some form or fashion since the 1870s and the thousands gathering here today attest to its staying power.

A view from over the edge of the wheel, looking northeast toward the ocean and mountains

Of course, I can’t help but wonder what the fair’s primary benefactors, E.P. and Orpha Foster, would think about all this. They donated the fair’s original 62 acres in 1909 and designated that it be perpetually maintained for a “public park and places of recreation and pleasure ground for amusement.” Over the next several years, they worked hard to make it happen and in 1917, the fair officially moved from Port Hueneme to its new home at Seaside Park. Looking around today at this entertainment cornucopia, if pleasure was indeed their goal, the Fosters succeeded far beyond their wildest imaginations.

If this fair was a plant, you might label it a nasturtium: growing rapidly, sprouting beautiful flowers, a plant quite hardy and once in the soil, permanently rooted. There have been several attempts by business groups to move the fair to a larger location with more commercial potential. The most recent attempt was in the late 1980s.

But the fair itself is so much a part of the local community, the people involved with shepherding it have simply refused to let it move. There are hundreds of volunteers and vendors filling booths, hosting exhibitions, and tending livestock. For them, this is a vital part of their lives and their refusal to let business have its way is a testament to the strength of their will.

This goat is just plum worn out

L to R: dairy goat owners Carol Mann from Chino Hills and Linda Colquitt from Bloomington (San Bernardino County)

Take for example Carol Mann from Chino Hills. Carol has been raising her Saanen dairy goats for 25 years and has been exhibiting here at the fair for nearly 20 years. Carol loves this fair for many different reasons, but the most important factor is that the people who work at the fair have become like family to her. “It’s low key and it has fabulous staff,” she said. “It’s basically like a little family. We all go about our lives. Then the fair starts and we see each other and catch up with everybody.”

When you talk to people about why they come here, the theme of family pops up again and again. It’s what pulls them together and creates distinct memories. It’s a special day out of their normal routine and it gives them opportunities to see things they wouldn’t normally encounter.

Blanck family from Moorpark, from L to R: daughter Emma (10), mother Tanya, daughter Morgan (8), father Ryan.

Animals for instance. In a largely urban environment, the fair has a strong connection to the local agricultural community, and when people come to the fair, those who don’t live on a farm with goats and horses and rabbits and pigs get a little taste of what farming is all about. The Blanck family from Moorpark is a good example. Father Ryan, mother Tanya, daughters Emma (10) and Morgan (8).

For Ryan, this is a chance to be with the kids and enjoy the whole fair atmosphere. “We’re just here to spend time as a family having fun,” he said. “We like looking at the animals. We like riding the rides, trying deep fried this and chocolate covered that. It just makes for a fun day for the family.”

For Emma and Morgan, the animals (especially the rabbits) are what they enjoy the most. Well, that and the rides. “I think our favorite exhibit is usually the 4H,” said mother Tanya, “the animals and stuff.”

For daughter Emma, the fair is her reward for a job well done. “One of the big reasons we came today is because our daughter Emma wrote a bunch of book reports and earned some free ride tickets,” said Tanya, “so we wanted to make sure that she could use them. We’re looking forward to the giant Ferris wheel. That’s probably one of our favorite rides.”

And one other thing for Emma. She’s really looking forward to eating ice cream.

The Giant Snake booth

Occasionally there’s something at the fair that strikes me as unusual or even strange. I walked by the Giant Snake booth with its touted boa constrictor and paused. It’s not that I haven’t seen boa constrictors before, but snakes at a fair sounds like a premise for a good horror movie. Herpetologists, I hope you will forgive me. I did not go in.

Blacksmith Michael Olson of the Gypsy Time Travelers

Then there were the Gypsy Time Travelers with their odd looking mobile black smith shop that seems to be a cross between a big rig and a 16^th century sailing vessel. What’s that about? In a word, it’s story time with a hot metal twist. Christy Horne and Michael Olson actually drive this contraption on the freeway from fair to fair (they hail from Angels Camp, CA) and share their love for Scandahoovian stories about Odin, Thor, and the ice gods. Christy tells those stories while Michael works the metal and turns it into jewelry and art. As an unusual idea, this one is right up there, and unlike the Giant Snake booth, I did go in and watch.

The fair’s most iconic symbol is the Ferris wheel. Most people who come here make it a point to go on it. It’s tall but not particularly scary to ride, unless swinging back and forth a hundred feet in the air happens to upset you. When I went, the line was getting longer, but most people didn’t seem to mind. It’s what they came for, myself included, and I wasn’t leaving here without making the big circle.

That was also the case for Daniel Ontiveros and Crystal Landeros, both from Oxnard. In their early twenties, they look at the Ferris wheel as a symbol of the fair itself.  “It’s like the first thing we do,” said Crystal. “We always stop by.”

Of course, as she points out, the view is spectacular. Mountains on one side. Ocean on the other. Cool wind blowing briskly. They like the games nearby and the Ferris Wheel is conveniently located right on the Midway where stuffed animals and other prizes seem to draw hope from the fair’s atmosphere.

But the Ferris wheel has a bigger meaning, which probably resonates with most people who come here. The Ferris wheel really represents the fair, and the fair itself is all about happiness, and happiness with someone creates a bond, and that bond leaves impressions, and those impressions somehow get planted in our heads. Year after year, it builds inside of us and, like nasturtiums, continues to grow and bloom. For Crystal, what she enjoys most about the Ferris wheel and the fair itself is simply put. “It’s about good times and memories,” she said.

Yeah. I think that’s right, and I think the Fosters would be happy with that description. No one leaves here without having a good time. That’s what going to the fair is all about. It’s just, well, fun.

Some brave soul teetering on the edge of the bungee crane (she did finally jump, but it took some coaxing)

The iconic Ferris wheel at the VC Fair

*Photo Credits: Tim Pompey

Tim Pompey, a freelance writer who has done lots of local affairs and entertainment/cultural writing, lives in Oxnard. Tim is also a fiction writer (Facebook Page). See chapter from his upcoming new book  ”The Perilous Paintings of Lily Day.”  3-2-14: Book now out on KINDLE.

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