According to a Google search of our blog, the last time we went to the OC Fair was in 2008, before n was born. Therefore, we decided it was about time to go back, face the crowds, indulge in some fried food and all the other stuff one does at a fair.

We had to go on the weekend in order for D to come along, so we knew it would be crowded whatever time we went. After trying to avoid the 55 South, which was jammed due to the fair and a car accident, we found our way to the Experian parking lot at 475 Anton, which has a free shuttle to the fair on weekends. This would’ve been fine, except the bus we were supposed to take was delayed. Luckily, we brought two strollers on advice from my mom, so the extra wait was fine (we were able to put the strollers underneath the bus).

We decided to go late afternoon/early evening so the sun wouldn’t be so hot, and our plan worked for the most part.

First stop was dinner.

Australian battered potatoes, pan-fried chicken (in back), and gyro (not pictured). I mostly wanted to try the potatoes out of curiosity…not quite sure what makes them Australian aside from the flag toothpick! There was a choice between cheese and ranch. In hindsight, I should’ve bought the half/half combo because the cheese had some jalapeno in it…not good for the kids. However, there were more than enough pieces not hit by the jalapeno cheese, so the kids munched on those. There was a lot of batter, though…I think these were a once in a lifetime deal.

The chicken and gyro were good, but not out of the ordinary. Next time maybe we’ll go for the giant turkey leg. $9.75!, but considering the amount of meat on the chicken, which was only a few dollars less, it might be worth it.

Next was the Ice Museum, which my parents told me about. This was a new attraction, I believe. The building was freezing (obviously) and they offered ponchos to people, but I came prepared with sweatshirts for me and the kids. D toughed it out in his t-shirt.

Then we saw the requisite animals of the fair.




HUGE oxen

For dessert we shared a Cow Pie…sounds appetizing, doesn’t it?


It wasn’t too special, just a waffle wafer topped with soft serve, some chocolate sauce and oreo crumbles. However, D and the kids thoroughly enjoyed it.

Couldn’t resist taking a picture of these guys.

No rides for us this time around…maybe when the kids are older.

At the box office, I noticed there was a early bird ticket where you could get in between 10-11 a.m. for only $2, but you have to leave by noon (not sure if this was only for the weekends). My question would be how they would know if you left by noon or not? Since we only stay a couple of hours anyway, maybe that would be an option for next time.

The Great Park in Irvine has been the object of some ridicule and certainly has had its setbacks. However, it does have great potential, and I hope that one day all of its dreams and plans come to fruition. Until then, we will continue to try to take advantage of all of the free events that take place there. On Saturday, there was an anniversary celebration.

A new grove of palm trees has been installed.

There was a variety of things to see and do:
n + k were all smiles during the free carousel ride.

Interesting displays

Hand-painting. (Some people were disappointed that the only option was an orange bicycle, the Great Park’s “mascot”.)

A sunflower potting station.

The mickey mouse mugs were cute, but not very fun to carry around the whole time. I’m glad we went early though, because the line grew to be pretty long.

Aerial acrobatics show. (I should have taken video…the stunts were truly amazing!)

Petting zoo. (We skipped the line and just looked at the camels).

Free orange sorbet in a real orange peel cup. (This was so good, especially on a warm day. A little messy for the kids to eat, but they loved it.)

A rendering of a future neighborhood planned for the park.

For dinner we ate from a couple of food trucks. The first, The Burnt Truck, we had tried before. This time we had the fried chicken slider ($2.50), Vietnamese pork ($2.50) slider and tater tots ($2). The food could have been a little warmer, but the flavors were good. The second was a new to us truck, SlapFish We had a lobster grinder ($6) and a Major Crunchy fish sandwich ($7).

We also bought a coconut water since I’ve wanted to try it for a while. Both of the sandwiches were yummy, the coconut water not so much. I like coconut, but the water just tasted weird to me.

All in all, a fun, but somewhat tiring outing.