Time For Fried Food, Fun And Furry Friends At The OC Fair

COSTA MESA (CBSLA) — It will be a weekend of fried food and fun at the Orange County Fair, which opens today in Costa Mesa.

The 129th annual OC Fair opens Friday at noon. Entry will be free from noon to 3 p.m.

One of the biggest attractions is right near the entrance – the Great American Petting Zoo, where fairgoers can cuddle with a baby wallaby, a 2-week-old goat and its sister, and mini pigs. Entry to the petting zoo is free.

There will be live entertainment throughout the fair, throughout each day. The fair's concert schedule includes Ziggy Marley, Pat Benatar, Styx, Chicago, Smokey Robinson, Dwight Yoakam, Kool and the Gang, the B52s and Weird Al Yankovic, but there will also be live dancing from community groups like Dance West from Los Alamitos.

Those looking for a wild ride can get on Titan, which boosts riders 17 stories into the air to experience 4G acceleration and speeds up to 60 mph. But for more kid-friendly thrills, there's the Ice Jet, a polar bobsledding ride, the Circus Train and Tea Cups.

But's a county fair without the fried food? Fairgoers can get their sweet and savory on a stick with the Fruity Pebbles Shrimp Po'Boy at Get Fried, and try the Cinnamon Maple Bacon Bombs at D&D Country Cinnamon Rolls for dessert. Even vegetarians will get a chance to eat at the fair for once with a taste of the Beyond Burger at Biggy's & Juicy's.

Solar- and wind-powered charging stations will be available for the first time this year near the Green Gate.

The fair, which is open Wednesdays through Sundays until midnight, runs through Aug. 11. Single-day admission is $7 for kids 6 to 12, and $12 for people 13-59. Kids 5 and younger are free.