It won’t be a full-blown San Diego County Fair again this year, but tickets are on sale for Home Grown Fun, a slimmer version to include fair food, shopping, a few rides and agricultural exhibits.
The event at the del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd. in Del Mar, runs from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. June 11 to July 4. It will be closed Mondays and Tuesdays during the 18-day season.
Admission is $10 for visitors 6 years and older. Children 5 and younger are free. Admission and parking tickets must be purchased online at sdfair.com.
Parking is $12 for limited parking. No tickets will be sold on site.
To limit crowding, all guests must select their preferred arrival time at the time of purchase. Once inside the fairgrounds, there is no limitation on the stay.
First on the list, of course, is fair food from fried favorites to corn on the cob to cinnamon rolls.
More than 30 food concessionaires will fill fairgoer’s stomachs, including Juicy’s, Biggy’s, Tasti Chips, Orange Julius, Texas Donuts, Chicken Charlie’s, Crutchee’s Ice Cream, Pink’s Hot Dogs, Australian Battered Potatoes, Who Fried the Cheese, Pignotti’s Gourmet Italian, Country Fair Cinnamon Rolls, Chuckwagon BBQ, Wood Pit BBQ, Kettle Corn and Bob’s Corn-on-the-Cob.
Two exhibit halls will be open for those seeking out the traditional gadgets and gizmos. Outdoor kitchens, barbecues, spas and modular homes will also be on display.
For entertainment, fair favorite Swifty Swine Races will return, along with the leaping canines in the Extreme Dogs shows.
Also included will be crafty “make-and-take” demonstrations, Godfrey the Magician, and Agri-land to teach visitors about California’s crops from cut flowers to coffee to avocados.
Outdoor events will include music, magic, demonstrations, contests and shows.
No Fun Zone is planned, but the Grand Wheel, a carousel and Happy Day Pony Rides will be open.
North County Transit District is offering an admission-transportation combo ticket for $12.
Visitors can combine fair admission with round-trip fare on Coaster, Sprinter and/or Breeze with NCTD tripper tickets.
For $12, the Breeze Route 408, which originates at the Escondido Transit Center, will drop people off at the event entrance. Or one can take the Coaster to Solana Beach Station and take Route 408 to the entrance from there. Children 5 and under ride for free.
People wishing to work at the fairgrounds, can apply at delmarfairgrounds.com.
Temporary jobs include parking attendants, traffic controllers, security guards, ticketing attendants, janitors and administrative positions.