Christie Villalovos and her sons made a pit stop Friday, July 14, for a basket of Australian potatoes shortly after passing through the gates of the OC Fair.
They were among the initial crowd of eager guests that arrived early on opening day of the fair – being among the first in has been a family tradition for more than 10 years, Villalovos said.
Her two sons, Bronson and Seth, said they come back for two things: agua frescas and rides.
“There’s really something to appeal to everybody. You can shop, you can eat, you can listen to music,” said Villalovos, of Orange. “We look forward to this every year.”
After fueling up, they were off to the midway for the rides.
The OC Fair is expecting to host more than 1 million people over its 23-day run through Aug. 13 – it is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
For Long Beach resident Diane Valdez, visiting the OC Fair is a generational thing. She attended with her family as a young girl, then brought her son as he grew up, and now brings her grandchildren.
She always makes at least two visits a season, once with just older family members and a second time with the children.
“But this time I told them, ‘We’re going on the first day,’” said Valdez, who even cancelled an appointment to clear the day off of work for wandering the fairgrounds in Costa Mesa and checking everything out. “We’ll just walk around and see what it’s like. I’m going to unwind, breathe for a bit so we can go home and relax with the rest of the day.”
She said her family has gone to other local fairs including in Ventura and San Diego, but none top the OC Fair. Shopping in the products buildings and catching new deals is always fun, she said, but nothing tops the thrill of carnival games.
“I like playing to win a prize. This grandma likes going to the carnival and shooting with the little kids to see if I can beat them. I don’t know why I feel my chances are better,” Valdez said, bursting into laughter with her…
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