Every year, Carmen and Lane Davis come to the Ventura County Fair for love and a special treat.
The Tustin couple was married 33 years ago in Glendale. They honeymooned in Ventura.
“The fair was going,” Carmen remembered. They went to it and had fun.
This year’s fair opened on July 29 and the Davises were in line as always, thinking of that honeymoon and, well, food.
“One of the first things I do is buy candied apples,” she said with a laugh.
Hundreds of people streamed through the fair’s gates at noon on an opening day marked by long but fairly fast-moving lines outside the front gate. Once inside, some made a beeline for the aptly named Big Splash water ride or checked out the six baby pigs — born Sunday — in Uncle Leo's Barn. Others hustled to
the exhibit buildings to see if they won a blue ribbon.
Henry Landis, who is 94, was attending his first-ever Ventura County Fair. The Navy vet from Lake San Marcos saw the whole thing as sort of a conversation starter.
“You’re going to find something interesting that you can discuss with other people,” said Landis who came to the fair with family.
Zeke Homokay of Newbury Park is 8. He came with his mom for the Big Wheel, the pirates ride, the goats and the pig races. He likes them all.
“It’s really cool,” he said.
The fair runs through Aug. 9 at its seaside venue, 10 W. Harbor Blvd., Ventura.Hours are noon to 11 p.m. every day except for Aug. 4 when gates open at 11 a.m.
Fairground leaders adopted a clear bag policy for the event, meaning some people left their purses behind or stowed them in the free storage area. Carmen Davis said she had no problems with the change.
"You know what? I go to the ballpark," she said, noting that many stadiums and venues have adopted similar policies. "You got to do it."
On opening day, people paid $5 for admission before 5 p.m. General rates throughout the fair are the same as last year — $20 for adults, $15 for people 65 and older, $15 for youths age 6 to 12 and free for children 5 and younger.
Inside the fairgrounds on opening day, alt rockers Bush were set to perform at the grandstand with Marshmello scheduled for July 30 and Iration on July 31.
Parking at the fairgrounds costs $20, same as last year. People can also park offsite and use free shuttle service. Shuttles begin one hour prior to the fair’s opening and run until 11:30 p.m. Shuttle sites include:
- DeAnza Middle School, 2060 Cameron St., Ventura
- Ventura County Government Center, 800 S. Victoria Ave., Ventura
- Pacific View Mall, near the Target store, 4200 E. Main St., Ventura
- Ventura Community Park, 901 S. Kimball Road, Ventura
- Larabee Stadium, Ventura High School, 2 North Catalina St., Ventura
- San Buenaventura State Beach, 901 San Pedro St., Ventura ($10 parking fee charged)
- Oxnard Police Activities League, 350 S. K St., Oxnard.
Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner is providing 20% discounts on train fares to and from the fairgrounds. Use code V510 when booking. The fair also offers a free bike valet.
For more information, go to venturacountyfair.org. For a daily schedule, go to https://venturacountyfair.org/fair/entertainment/.
Tom Kisken covers health care and other news for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at tom.kisken@vcstar.com.
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This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Ventura County Fair opens with cheesy bacon fries, the Zipper, more
