Adopt a School

Yorba Elementary School in Pomona is the “adopted” school of Fairplex, although other Pomona School District elementary schools also participate in special activities at Fairplex. Students of Yorba School are able to attend several year-round events and enjoy tours of the grounds. Some 400 youngsters, parents, teachers and administrators, escorted by longtime Fair mascot Thummer and costumed characters Daisy the stylish cow, Lily the comely lamb and Blaze the frisky racehorse, annually walk from the school to the Fair for Yorba’s very own day at the Fair, where they enjoy food donated and prepared by Fair concessionaires. Yorba Day is Friday, Sept. 14.

Dairy Education
The Fair Association and California Dairy Industries Association (CDIA) have combined to forge an educational partnership called the Southern California Dairy Education and Training Center. The center, which has been showcased as a model dairy during the Fair formore than 40 years, promotes the production and processing of milk in Southern California. In addition to the Fairtime exhibit, the CDIA utilizes the center for workshops, clinics and other educational programs. The dairy industry will use the center throughout the year to educate the public. The milk sold at the center during the Fair helps fund the maintenance and development of the Southern California Dairy Education and Training Center. Stop by the “Moo Market,” where guests can purchase ice-cold white or chocolate milk—from the cow to the bottle—all at the L.A. County Fair.

Design a Float
The popular competition returned for its fourth year inviting budding artists, grades 6-8, to design a float to be used in the community parades during the Fair and at the nationally television Hollywood Santa Parade in November. Three enterprising designers earned top prizes in the 2007 competition with Melany Bennett, an 8th grader from Jane Warner School in Altadena collecting first prize of $1,000 for her float design. The $500 second-place winner was Jenna Russell, an 8th grader from Quail School in Phelan and third prize and a $300 award went to Lane Erickson, an 8th grader at Calle Mayor Middle School in Torrance. Melany will assist in the construction of her float along with award- winning designers Fiesta Floats.

FairKids Discovery Club
Since its inception in 1998, more than 800,000 students and teachers have discovered the magic of the L.A. County Fair. Students attend as part of a unique learning experience and visit educational areas such as agriculture, horticulture, livestock, cultural arts, science, technology, California history, paleontology, geology, art and much more. The program begins an hour and a half before the grounds open Wednesdays through Fridays for an adventure that makes learning fun.

Read To Ride Program
It’s fun and earns points. Read two books, approved by a parent or teacher, write brief, 25-words, summary of the books and earn three carnival ride passes. Children ages 6 and younger may draw a picture for their summary. Good for kindergarten through 8th grade. Awards are available at LACF guest services booths or the RCS guest services booth on the midway. Reading is fun. Presented by Ray Cammack Shows

Reading Buddies
Fairplex employees volunteer to read books to students at Kingsley Elementary School in Pomona.

The Foundations at Fairplex
The foundations serve to support the educational programs of the Fairplex Child Development Center, the Millard Sheets Center for the Arts and all of the lifelong learn-ing that takes place during the Fair and throughout the year. These non-profit organizations raise money through special events, donations, grants, and planned gifts such as bequests, trusts, gifts of stock, insurance policies, or any other gift of money or assets. All gifts to the foundations are tax deductibles The three foundations are the Fairplex Child Development Center Foundation, chaired by Beth Bingham; Fairplex Education Foundation, chaired by Jil Stark; and the Millard Sheets Center for the Arts Foundation, chaired by Linda Bosserman-Piatt. Each foundation has its own unique mission, board of directors, by-laws and business plan.

The foundations produce a quarterly news-letter to report on upcoming events, programs and membership opportunities. The foundations remain committed to their mission of improving and enhancing the educational opportunities at Fairplex and at the L.A. County Fair while utilizing the resources right in our own backyard. The Fairplex Child Development Center, in partnership with the University of La Verne, offers childcare and developmentally appropriate experiences for infants, toddlers and preschoolers. The center serves more than 175 children of families with varying income levels and needs, including children with disabilities. The Fairplex Education Foundation works to create youth educational opportunities as well as to expand education programs beyond the 18 days of the L.A. County Fair to a year-round basis. The Millard Sheets Center for the Arts at Fairplex Gallery will continue to present post-Fair exhibits and operate on a year-round basis to provide a major arts venue to the local community that will present diverse, relevant and progressive exhibitions, offering a personal connection to the past, present and future through art.