FAIR MARKS OPENING WEEKEND KIDS DRAWN BY LURE OF ANIMALS, COTTON CANDY.Byline: Serena Maria Daniels Special to the Daily News Amid aisles of cotton candy, corn dogs and funnel cakes, animal trainer Federico Delgado coaxed children Saturday to have their pictures taken with boas and parrots. For more than 20 years, Delgado has taken his menagerie of exotic animals to festivals around the country. This year at the Ventura County Fair, he turned kids from terrified ter·ri·fy tr.v. ter·ri·fied, ter·ri·fy·ing, ter·ri·fies 1. To fill with terror; make deeply afraid. See Synonyms at frighten. 2. To menace or threaten; intimidate. to enamored en·am·or tr.v. en·am·ored, en·am·or·ing, en·am·ors To inspire with love; captivate: was enamored of the beautiful dancer; were enamored with the charming island. of his rather enormous creatures. ``I love educating people about animals, especially the snakes,'' said Delgado, who, when he is not touring, lives in Tampa, Fla. ``People usually come by completely terrified of them but then they realize that they're harmless.'' Delgado is among hundreds of exhibitors and vendors at this year's Ventura County Fair, which marked its opening weekend Saturday with everything from livestock shows and pig races to carnival rides and not-so- traditional attractions. Thousands of residents flocked to the area to both enjoy the activities and participate in some. At the Channel Islands Gourd gourd (gôrd, g  rd), common name for some members of the Cucurbitaceae, a family of plants whose range includes all tropical and subtropical areas and extends into the temperate zones. Society booth, Charlene Smith of Ojai prepared a large, hollow squash to be painted. She said some society members enter their pieces in the fair exhibit, which has a special category for gourd art Gourd art involves creating works of art by painting on dried gourd shells based on the principles of pointillism. During the process, gourd surfaces may be carved, sanded, burned, dyed, and polished. . ``One year I went to a powwow powwow American Indian ceremony or gathering of various kinds. Powwows originally were healing ceremonies, but the word could also refer to exuberant celebrations, with dancing and singing, of success in hunting or victory in battle. up at Lake Casitas Lake Casitas is a lake in Ventura County, California. It was formed by Casitas Dam on Coyote Creek, two miles (3 km) before it joins the Ventura River. Santa Ana Creek and North Fork Coyote Creek also flow into the lake. and I met a woman who did some wood burning on a gourd and I thought it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen,'' said Smith. While Smith considers her fair participation more of a hobby, for some like Barbara Schneider, it's more of a lifestyle. Surrounded by hundreds of roses and floral arrangements, Schneider, 73, has been working as superintendent of the floriculture floriculture Branch of ornamental horticulture concerned with growing and marketing flowers and ornamental plants, as well as with flower arrangement. Because flowers and potted plants are largely produced in plant-growing structures in temperate climates, floriculture is exhibit on the fairgrounds n. pl. 1. same as fairground. since 1976. ``Every day I get to do something different,'' said Schneider as she and her staff put on the finishing touches finishing touches finish npl the finishing touches → der letzte Schliff finishing touches npl → ultimi ritocchi mpl for the rose show Saturday. Schneider ensures exhibitors have their prized roses arranged appropriately for competition. Then she, along with a series of judges, rate each flower for best bloom, foliage and most unique colors. Meanwhile, at the fairgrounds' livestock area, 11-year-old Kelsey Ostby was helping relatives feed the goats they had entered in competition. ``I love animals,'' said Ostby, who has two goats, Oreo and Patch at home in Oak View. As a member of The Grange, a livestock organization, Ostby brought a rabbit to this year's fair - and won fourth place. Serena Maria Daniels, (818) 713-3634 serena.daniels(at)dailynews.com IF YOU GO --The Ventura County Fair opens at 11 a.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. weekends through Aug. 14, and will open at 10 a.m. on Aug. 9. The exhibits close at 10 p.m. Admission is $7 for adults and children 13 and older, $4 for seniors 62 and older and children from 6 to 12. Children 5 and under are free. The fair is at Seaside Park, Harbor Boulevard and Figueroa Street, Ventura. Call (805) 648-3376 or see www.venturacountyfair.org or www.seasidepark.org. CAPTION(S): box Box: IF YOU GO (see text) |
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