L.A. County Fair: The Strange, The Cool and The Scary

Shannon Cottrell

Pig races

Pomona is closer to the San Bernardino County line than to downtown Los Angeles, but for more than 85 years, millions of Angelenos have made the drive to check out the end-of-summer extravaganza known as the L.A. County Fair. This year, we learned that on Fridays, you can get into the Fair in exchange for five cans of Ralph's brand food. So we hit the grocery store and headed down to the Fairplex in search of the strange, the cool and the scary. After getting sidetracked by the overwhelming cuteness of baby animals, we came across these finds.

Shannon Cottrell

Dodger Coffin

There's something disturbing about talking to a representative of Forest Lawn Memorial Parks and Mortuaries about pre-planning your funeral at the County Fair. At the very least, it makes you think twice about going on the Zipper afterwards. However, we couldn't resist the allure of a Dodger coffin. This is more hardcore than painting your pickup truck Dodger blue, more permanent than a tattoo. Planning to spend the rest of eternity in a box dedicated to the home team is the ultimate expression of baseball fanaticism. Who will be that guy?

Shannon Cottrell

Elvis Nesting Dolls

These dolls were hand carved and hand painted in Russia, but they bear a certain level of kitsch that could only be appreciated at the Fair. Note the way that the nesting doll on the right corresponds with Elvis' career trajectory. We're sensing a new trend in Russian crafts. Bring on the celebrity nesting dolls.

Shannon Cottrell

Chocolate Covered Bacon

Chocolate covered bacon, which we should point out is more chocolate than bacon, is all over the County Fair. One of our companions picked up an order served cold and in a Chinese takeout container. He said it was the best $5.50 he spent. I took a taste of the treat. It's roughly equivalent to a chocolate covered pretzel and managed to soothe the burning in my mouth following an experiment with bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers.

Shannon Cottrell

Totally Fried Avocado

You can go to any fair in the U.S. and indulge in all sorts of food that's been dumped in batter and fried, but we have a feeling that "totally fried" avocado, served no less with lemon wedges and a pesto dipping sauce, is a beast of a California variety. Three of us split an order and came to the same conclusion, it's a little bland. We could barely taste the avocado and the fried exterior obscured its melt-in-your-mouth texture. Plus, it cost $7 and change. Since when did clogging one's arteries become so expensive?