HOT time at the L.A. County Fair

L.A. County Fair

I took this week off from work. Most of my days have been filled with cleaning and organizing, except for yesterday. Larry and I journeyed out to the Fairplex in Pomona to attend Senior Day at the L.A. County Fair. Free for old folks on Wednesdays! Woot!

We knew it would be hot, hot, hot, but we figured if we hit the air-conditioned exhibit halls, we'd be OK.

Ugh! Just trudging around the grounds in-between the exhibitions was brutal. Luckily, it wasn't too crowded on a Wednesday, so lines for lemonade and food were short.

"Wonderland" at the Flower and Garden Pavilion was just OK. Usually, the displays are much more lush. Who decided this "Wonderland" theme? Alice has been overdone in the past few decades. I wasn't impressed.

Garden Pavilion

We noticed that many of the permanent buildings at the Fair were gone this year, replaced by typical neighborhood attractions and pop-up food trucks. You can't go home.

Next stop, The Millard Sheets Art Center. This year's exhibit was a dual show with Chicana artists, Patssi Valdez and Judith Hernandez, "One Path, Two Journeys," kicking off the Pacific Standard Time county-wide show. I've always loved Patssi's work. I met her once at Frank Romero's studio. I wasn't as familiar with Judith Hernandez' work, but it was powerful.

"Little Girl in Yellow Dress" by Patssi Valdez, 1995

"The Purification" by Judithe Hernandez, 2013

We wandered around after the Gallery looking for lunch. Larry was not interested in a barbecued turkey leg, so we opted for tacos at one of the King Taco stands...always delicious!

It was SO hot, that all we could do was get into an exhibition hall as quickly as possible to feel the air-conditioning! The humidity sucked the energy right out of me. We saw many vendors hawking the latest and greatest wash rags, jewelry cleaner, carpet sweepers, pots and pans. I did buy a nice sun visor from one of the vendors.

Calavera Display outside the Millard Sheets Art Center

Larry and I went our separate ways. He checked out the NHRA Motorsports Museum and I immersed myself in the home-arts area. The cake displays are always impressive. 

The table-scaping wasn't as inspired as a few years ago. 

"Back to School" Table Setting

The knit, crochet, quilting and weaving areas were really uninspired. Considering the renewed interest in home crafts, this area should really be given a make-over! The lighting is poor inside the display cases. 

I realize that they have many items to display, but the way they drape the entries is really awful. It's difficult to actually see many of the pieces. Sigh. 

Crocheted Bulls Head

Felted Horse

There were classic crocheted and knitted items, but really, nothing that unusual or inspiring to me. There were some whimsical crocheted, felted animals. Cutesy.

Crocheted Siamese Cats

Classic Crocheted Granny Afghan

On our way out we stopped by the miniature train display. It's always fun to see tiny L.A. landmarks.

Miniature Train Display. There's Randy's Donuts!

I'm guessing if the weather had been cooler I would have enjoyed myself more.