Summer is in the air – schools are culminating their academic year, sunset is happening later, and the San Diego County Fair is open for the next month. This annual tradition is held at the Del Mar Fairgrounds – this year from June 5th through July 5th. The 2015 theme is celebrating the centennial anniversary of the 1915 Panama-California Exposition held in Balboa Park and other World Fairs.
The San Diego County Fair has everything you would expect at a fair – rides, music, different exhibits, animals, shopping and food of all types. For over a century, fairs have been an opportunity for vendors to show off new food offerings for the masses and this year’s fair is no exception. Back in the day, foods like Cracker Jacks, hot dogs, Hershey’s Chocolate made their debut at fairs in 1893. Ice cream cones, hamburgers, and cotton candy were fair firsts in 1904. San Diego’s Balboa Park was the scene in 1915 for Kellogg’s to showcase Corn Flakes. I’m not sure when exactly fair foods became synonymous with fried foods, but this has been the trend of lately and I don’t see it ending anytime soon.
At this year’s fair in San Diego, some of the new food offerings included sweet corn ice cream, deep fried Starbucks, and bacon-wrapped hot dogs. But two of the foods that seem to have everyone talking are the deep-fried SlimFast bar and the fried peanut butter pickle – both offered by Chicken Charlie’s. As we walked around the fair on opening night, we saw many examples of food and much of it was fried – chocolate covered bacon, triple decker Krispy Kreme cheeseburger, colossal curly fries, fried Oreos, fried Twinkies, fried cookie dough, funnel cakes, fish & chips, and churros. Of course you can also find pizza, BBQ, popcorn (both traditional and kettle corn), ice cream, corn on the cob, turkey legs, nachos, cotton candy, and more!
San Diego County Fair 2015 — Fair Food = Fried Food. Photo Credits: Krista. Collage created with Smilebox computer app.
Since it was “National Donut Day” on June 5th, we decided to sample some freshly made mini donuts covered in cinnamon sugar. After we explored the “It All Started at a Fair” exhibit and did some shopping, I sampled the Seven Layer S’more Sundae from the Gingerbread Shop. My husband had a chocolate shake from Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour. Yes, that’s right – Farrell’s is at the San Diego Fair!
Through the years, in addition to food debuts, fairs have also been a place to introduce new technology and innovations. At the 1964 World’s Fair in New York, Walt Disney introduced the world to four attractions, which were added to Disneyland when the fair concluded. The exhibits developed by Disney were Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln (for the State of Illinois), Carousel of Progress (for General Electric), Magic Skyway (for Ford), and It’s a Small World (for Pepsi-Cola).
However, one of my favorite stories about fair innovations came from the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. The “clasp locker” was introduced at the 1893 World’s Fair however it was not a successful debut. However after studying and modifying the clasping technology, the design became our modern-day zipper in 1913. When most people think of a zipper at a fair, you think of the ride “The Zipper”. It’s hard to imagine when the zipper we use on our clothes or backpacks would have been innovative.
The San Diego County Fair has something for everyone. Be sure to check out the official website for details about tickets, entertainment, and more. http://www.sdfair.com/
San Diego County Fair 2015 — A Fair to Remember. Photo Credits: Krista. Collage created with Smilebox computer app.
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