OCFair

ET’S FACE IT: LIFE IS STRESSFUL WHEN YOU’RE A GROWN-UP. As a 26-year-old, I’ve only begun to learn this harsh reality. I have deadlines to meet, projects to finish, and recorded TV shows to watch. Bills need to be paid and decisions need to be made. I’m not sure I’m a fan of being an adult, especially at this time of year, when the responsibilities and boring tasks of adulthood are magnified by the giddy students around me; I’m constantly being reminded that summer breaks are a thing of the past.

Although a three-month summer vacation will forever elude me, there are still plenty of exciting activities to keep summer interesting and aging college graduates feeling young. One of my favorite summer activities is a trek to the Orange County Fair in Costa Mesa. First started in 1890 as a small exhibition and horse race, the fair now sees over a million smiles a year and continues to attract families and visitors as they enjoy the simple pleasures of summer—walking around the beautiful fair grounds, seeing talented bands and artists in concert, perusing exhibits and wowing at prize-winners, holding hands on the ferris wheel, petting farm animals—something sure to fascinate any Orange County kid—and, of course, eating. The Orange County fair was a vagabond for years after its inception in 1890, moving from Santa Ana to Huntington Beach, back to Santa Ana, then to Anaheim—it wasn’t until after World War II that it was given a permanent home. The 32nd District Agricultural Association—formed by the state and put in charge of the fair—was given a portion of land by the state that once belonged to the Santa Ana Army Air Base and in 1949, the Fair opened its doors at its new residence at 88 Fair Drive.

Now the Orange County Fair is just one piece of The Orange County Fair and Events Center that offers over 150 events year round, but it is still the event that kids and adults alike most anticipate as the summer months draw nearer. One reason? Deep fried White Castle burgers. I guarantee that the most-talked about part of one’s OC Fair experience has and always will be the food. The smorgasbord of eats that are offered can be overwhelming, but don’t let the seemingly infinite options paralyze you from diving into some truly delicious fair fare. Bratwurst, freshly spun cotton candy, smokey barbecue, corn-on-the-cob, funnel cakes, corn dogs, and fried everything promise all the culinary adventure you can handle. My all-time favorite pick? Hot kettle corn, which in my opinion is the paragon of the sweet-salty genre of snacks, with an aroma that can’t be beat.

An annual trip to the fair has become a tradition for many of us in Orange County. A date night, hang-out with a group of friends, or night out with the family can still be uncomplicated and affordable. Plus, like apple pie and baseball, there’s something quintessentially American about going to the fair, something that just makes us feel good.

While I still need to deal with the fact that I will never again be able to experience the novelties of an undergraduate’s summer break, an obligatory summer outing to the Orange County Fair will forever keep me feeling like a kid. Stress and deadlines and all that nonsense isn’t something I can be bothered by when I’m chomping into a deep-fried Twinkie as it glistens under the midsummer moonlight in all its artery-clogging glory. No matter what your age, a summer night at the fair still holds the promise of many childhood pleasures.