The number one thing I forget while living in LA is just how damn BIG California actually is. Believe it or not, LA county is just about the same size as the state I grew up in– Connecticut is itty-bitty, and LA is just so, so big.
David and I ventured out to Pomona (about an hour east on the 10, one of the last cities in LA county before you hit San Bernardino county) for the LA county fair this past weekend. We braved the heat (it must have been close to 100*) and crowds (the entire state was there, I think) to enjoy some down-home awesomeness.
Naturally, this is where we went first. It was all about textile art. Lots of felting projects. Adorable. If I had any use for wool, I would have bought some. But I am not a textile art-person. I’m all thumbs when it comes to that stuff.
David humored me.
We also caught the first blacksmithing demo of the day. This gent was really entertaining, and made a cute leaf-shaped charm while dealing with 1100* iron. I can’t even take a cake out of the oven without burning myself, so I decided I wouldn’t make a very good blacksmith.
The absolute HIGHLIGHT of the day was the Animal barn. There were fewer animals on display for this particular fair than there usually is at the agricultural fair that I used to go to as a kid. It appears as though the LA county fair was more for rides and food than furry beings. That’s ok, though. Because the animals were all calm and well cared for. Particularly this gnarly-cute goat.
They were doing shearing demonstrations, so a few unlucky goats and sheep had to stay furry.
This pig had more personality than most of the people I meet in life. He woke up from a nap, had a snack from mom, then beelined it for the mud wallow. Happily snortsing the entire time. It was PAINFULLY cute, but PAINFULLY weird to walk out of the barn only to be met with a stand selling chocolate-covered bacon. #Macabre.
The pig races were also sponsored by Ralph’s, with banners saying “Bring home the Bacon!” throughout the barn. And yes, all spectators got a coupon for a free pound of bacon. Dudes… that’s really sick.
We avoided most of the fair food (as most of it is meat based and in poor taste, let’s be honest), but we indulged in sharing a funnel cake. After we got one with just powdered sugar, we saw they had a red velvet version. Why? Why did we not see that sign sooner?!
Our last stop was our dorkiest– we went to a demonstration about drought-tolerant plants and how to propagate succulents and cactus. It was, strangely, the most LA thing about the day! Learning how to make gardens that use less water is a remarkably hippy-dippy concept that is only being embraced by the strangest of us here in Los Angeles. David and I are planning a massive succulent garden in our Future House– it was super cool to learn how to make cuttings and propagate our own garden.
Do you go to your county fair? What’s the highlight for you?
{ 1 comment }
