"If you ever plan to motor west, Travel my way, take the highway that is best. Get your kicks on route sixty-six." And that is the theme to this year's LA County Fair!! If you have never been to the LA County Fair, you HAVE to go! And for the most part, you have to go twice to try to see and do it all. We are going to share with you, our picks of what is NOT to miss this year!! First off let's talk FOOD!! Who doesn't love something from the fair? So many varieties on a stick and deep fry abundance. What sets the fair apart this year are the AWESOME $6.60 menu. You can get a good sized snack/meal or a treat AND a drink for only $6.60. I know, I know it sounds too good to be true. But it's a real deal! We loved the Cheese Stick and Cherry Lemonade from Hot Dog on a Stick and we enjoyed the Deep Fried Chicken Pineapple Kebob and drink from the the little hawaiian stand directly behind the Rock and Candy Factory expo hall. That is the building that used to hold America's Kids. And our FAVORITE deal was from Chicken Charlie's!! Of course Chicken Charlie only serves up the latest and greatest in Fair Food. He's innovative, creative and nice guy! They had a waffle cone filled with mac n cheese and topped with buffalo chicken. It was a HIT for the whole family. We all had to get one of our own. And you can eat the waffle cone! It's the perfect portion. And it pleases your taste buds. Go grab one!
Next!!! The other $6.60 item I fell in love with, well they were both pretty amazing. Were the floats from Dippin Dots! Now if you are a connoisseur of root beer and root beer floats like I am. You will be in heaven!! Try the Orange Cream Float! Fanta Orange and Vanilla Dippin Dots. Just like a 50/50 bar on steroids! And while you are there say hi to the awesome Dippin Dots employees Mitchell and Paola! They are awesome! I could not decide on a flavor so Mitchell made me both! AND he gave me some tips on What pairs nicely with what. So many flavors. So little time. Dippin Dots in the walkway between the Expo Halls and the Kiddie carnival section and Railway.
Next up, Haunted 66!! I had read about this and I was SO excited to be able to see this. It's small. And it's not too scary. It's not dark either. They had a nice display set up on Halloween. I don't mean the holiday Halloween, but the movie franchise Halloween. Michael Myers. The film turns 40 this year and in conjunction with the new release they had memorabilia, life sized props that you could take pictures with and some video. I have a video of the walk through on my Facebook wall and I will share it to the Monterey Park and Glendale Facebook pages. There is another are set up with AMAZING props and yard decor from the Spirit Halloween Store. There are some cute vendors, some games with zombie flair and lots of photo opps. It will get you ready for Halloween! If you have kids who get scared easily, maybe leave them outside and take turns going in. 
Across the walkway is the The Rock and Candy Factory. The Science of Rocks and Candy. This is SUPER Fun. Regardless if you have kids in tow or not. Go see this! Tons of photo opps. And if you do have kids, they will love the hands on part of it. The Teenagers will like it too. You can pan for gold with a miner, and learn how rocks are made. There is an awesome giant crystal on loan from the National History Museum and a few things from Calico. You can stand next to a candy mountain and learn all about candy through the ages. All the vintage good stuff. There is a Jelly Belly wheel you can turn and you can get Beat Boozled Of course you won't know if they bean you are holding is Dead Fish or Rotten Egg. Until you bite it. It could just be Coconut or Peach too. That's the fun of Bean Boozled.There is cute candy pop up store too, to take home a treat. Make sure your camera is ready, because there are so many cute spots to take a picture.
If you have kids, check out the America's Kids Expo Hall. Your kids can dress up as Knights and Princesses and play with the cutest little kitchens and play food. There is a construction zone area with trucks and cars and hard hats. Some Lego tables and through out the day they have demos and themed play activities. You can check out all of the talented and amazing artwork, projects and more from local kids. Next up you will want to go toward the flower pavilion and visit The Mother Road! It's all decked out with Route 66 Photo Ops. And daytime and nighttime will have a different vibe. Try them both. Check out the lagoon and go meet Forrest the Camel! You can feed him carrots at 1:00 and 7:00. He is the sweetest!! I can not wait to go back next weekend and see him again. Go walk through the flower pavilion and just breathe in all the goodness. There are some creative and amazing Route 66 themed displays with some animals that are native to those parts. We loved the raccoon. He's cute, animated and just plan fun. lots of photos to take.
And now for one of my favorite places in the Fair. The Farm!! Go visit all the animals! And walk through all the nooks and crannies. There are interactive areas for your children to learn and experience agriculture first hand. Find out where their food comes from. And the importance if eating healthy. The fair saws down back here. You feel like you've been transported back in time. You can learn all about brick building. And what our ancestors did to build. My Dad grew up on a farm in Colorado and attended school in a one room school house. It's an amazing experience to have your own kids, experience the SAME things you did at their age. And while you are there, go visit the doll making table. For a $2.00 donation, yourself and or your children can make a pioneer rag doll. You can learn all about the history of this doll. Your children will walk away with a different outlook. So go see the Farm! Don't miss it!!
And while you are visiting the Expo Halls with all the vendors, go stop by the Pink Patch Project booth. These aren't just patches with pink on them. The Pink Patch Project is a collaborative effort between law enforcement and public safety agencies to bring attention to the fight against breast cancer. It is an innovative public awareness campaign. It is estimated that approximately 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. The disease can have a profound effect not only on the patient but on their family and loved ones. At the Pink Project, their goal is simple. To raise awareness of life saving benefits of early detection and intervention. In addition to their education, they have added a goal of raising funds to go directly to research, education and treatment. I will have a full article on the Project next month. And info on how you can get involved. Our daughter posed with her friends, LT. Manuel Arona from South Gate Police Department, Corporal Officer Nancy Miranda form Glendora Police Department and Chief Anthony Miranda from the Vernon Police Department. Next week my husband will bring a patch from his agency and hang it on the wall. This is a cause that's close to my heart in more ways than one.
I hope you get to the Fair in the next two weeks. It closes September 23rd. And you don't want to miss getting your kicks on the Route 66 at the LA County Fair!!! Til next year!!
