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Arts & Culture

California's Golden Fairs: San Diego County Fair

Aerial view of the San Diego County Fair at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.
San Diego County Fair & Del Mar Fairgrounds
Aerial view of the San Diego County Fair at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.

Airs Thursday, May 12, 2011 at 8 p.m. on KPBS TV

2011 San Diego County Fair

The Fair runs June 10 - July 4, 2011, and is closed Mondays except July 4. In Southern California, we love our cars! We'll be celebrating cars of many types at the Fair this year, with displays of amazing automobiles, some historic and many modern.

In the "California's Golden Fairs" television series, Huell Howser visits a fair steeped in history. In 1880, a group of San Diegans organized an agricultural fair to bring county farmers together to share ideas, see who had the best citrus fruit, who baked the best pie, and who had the fastest horse.

In 1936 it moved to it's current location at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. With the support of Bing Crosby and his Hollywood pals, the racetrack became and continues to be a focal point of this beautiful fairground. In 1946 actor Tom Hernandez was hired to portray the character of "Don Diego" who would become the symbol for the fair over the next 37 years as he welcomed fairgoers with his hat in hand and signature "Bienvenidos, Amigos."

The San Diego County Fair (Del Mar Fairgrounds) is on Facebook.

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