Los Angeles County Fair opens Friday in Pomona

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POMONA, Calif. (FOX 11 / CNS) - The 91st Los Angeles County Fair opens Friday at Fairplex in Pomona with the theme "Get Your Kicks...at the LA County Fair,'' a celebration of Route 66, the 2,448-mile highway that stretched from Chicago to Santa Monica.

Each fair exhibit will feature a Route 66 theme. A Route 66 menu will feature $6.60 meals. Classic Fair/Route 66 food items will be available at each concession stand.

The "Get Your Kicks on Route 66'' attraction on the fair's hillside will replicate the highway's most iconic sites. All eight states are represented, including Chicago's Wrigley Field, Amarillo, Texas' Cadillac Ranch, where 10 Cadillacs are half-buried nose-first in the ground, and the world's largest rocking chair.

Other sites depicted include a Wigwam Motel, part of a chain where guests stayed in rooms built in the form of teepees, the Mt. Baldy Drive-In theater and Santa Monica Pier.

The fair also includes a look at "The Negro Motorist Green Book,'' the annual guidebook published by New York City mailman Victor Hugo Green from 1936 to 1966 that highlighted services and places relatively friendly to African-Americans during a time of segregation.

"The LA County Fair is turning back the clock to a time when America's roads brought people together from across our nation, unifying us as we explored the delightful surprises nestled in communities across this land,'' said Miguel A. Santana, the Los Angeles County Fair Association's president and CEO.

The theme was chosen because Fairplex is located ``just south of Route 66 and the core of our guests come from the Route 66 corridor from San Bernardino to Santa Monica,'' Renee Hernandez, the fair's associate director of communications, told City News Service.

Other fair attractions include:

-- Haunted 66, an interactive Halloween art and educational exhibit in a maze of rooms;

-- The Millard Sheets Art Center Presents Alt 66, immersive environments with the highway's odd, weird, and kitsch;

-- The Retro City Arcade, with vintage arcade games including pinball and to the original Pac-Man;

-- eSports Gaming World, with daily competitions on the hottest eSports games;

-- The Rock Candy Factory, billed as an exploration of the science of rocks and candy and the role of candy shops within pop culture; and

-- Rail Giants Historical Trains, a display of some of the world's largest steam engines and diesel locomotives;

Additions to the fair's food offerings include caramel crack Fries, french fries dipped in butter, smothered with sugar and cinnamon, topped with caramel, whipped cream and Fruity Pebbles; deep-fried filet mignon; and ramen noodle burritos with shrimp or chicken.

The fair's End of Summer Concert Series begins tonight with The Commodores, The Stylistics and The Ohio Players.

Other artists scheduled to perform are Luis Fonsi (Saturday); Mariachi USA Fiesta (Sunday); KC and The Sunshine Band and Kool & The Gang (Monday); Lost 80's Live (Sept. 6); Kane Brown with Temecula Road (Sept. 7); Grand Funk Railroad, Burton Cummings and Blue Oyster Cult (Sept. 8); Gabriel "Fluffy'' Iglesias (Sept. 9); Ramon Ayala y Sus Bravos del Norte (Sept. 13); The Manhattans featuring Gerald Alston, The Brothers Johnson, Rose Royce, The Original Lakeside and Jimmy ``JJ'' Walker (Sept. 14); Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and Cheap Trick (Sept. 15); Nicky Jam with Christian Nava (Sept. 16); The Beach Boys (Sept. 20); War and Tower of Power (Sept. 21); Bad Company (Sept. 22) and Dustin Lynch and Tyler Farr (Sept. 23).

Admission prices are unchanged from 2017. The weekend prices are $20 for adults and teenagers ages 13-59; $15 for adults age 60 and older and $12 for children ages 6 to 12. The weekday prices are $14 for adults and teenagers 13-59, $10 for adults 60 and over and $8 for children 6 to 12. Children 5 and under are free throughout the fair.

Guests bringing five new school supply items on Wednesdays or five canned goods on Thursdays will receive free admission from noon to 5 p.m. All donations will go to local charities.

The weekend prices will be in effect on Labor Day.

General parking is $15, VIP parking at Gates 17 and 9 is $25 and valet parking at Gate 3 is $30. A season parking pass is available for $60.

On the opening weekend, the fair will be open from noon-midnight today, 10 a.m.-midnight Saturday and Sunday and 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday. The hours for the rest of the fair are noon-10 p.m. Wednesdays; noon-11 p.m. Thursdays; noon-midnight Fridays; 10 a.m.-midnight Saturdays; and 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays.

Following Labor Day, the fair will be closed Mondays and Tuesdays. The fair will end its run on Sept. 23.