Fried Kool-Aid! Fire Eaters! Sharks! It’s The LA County Fair!

The LA County Fair opens this weekend, and will run from September 3rd through October 2nd, an entire month of thrills, chills, and deep-fried debauchery! So what is the infamous Chicken Charlie dropping in the fryer this year? Kool-aid! Not liquid Kool-aid, because that would be crazy, right? Charlie refused to divulge the secret, but it seems like they replaced the sugar with powdered Kool-aid or mixed into into the milk in a fritter/donut hole recipe. Oh, and Cherry -that’s what flavor it is.

Charlie is also deep-frying ribs, and I have to warn you away from them. In fact, as you lift these ribs to your lips, I will run at you in slow motion like in a horror movie crying out, nooOOOOooooo!!! On the other end of the spectrum, their chicken kabobs are fantastic! What a treat to find something healthy and delicious at the fair.

Check out Big Bubba’s BBQ and the cheesecake on a stick while you’re there. You can also enjoy delicious food ranging from Thai food, Indian Fry Bread, and tacos. In addition to the usual stands, there will be some trucks on hand. Calbi Korean, Napoleon crepes, and the delicious and usually OC-only Piaggio.

So what about the sharks? Deep-fried shark? Shark on a stick? Perish the thought! In addition to the usual baby animals, kangaroos and bears, this year the fair is showing off a new attraction — Live Shark Encounter with a 5,000-gallon shark tank. I wonder if I can enter my own shark and win a blue ribbon?

Another don’t miss attraction is Esmerelda’s Traveling Circus with acrobats, fire eaters, side shows and more! You can even learn how to fly on the trapeze yourself! Besides the rides, the botanical gardens, the evening concerts (Earth Wind and Fire! Salt-n-Pepa!), and Monster Truck Madness, don’t forget to try the International Wines and Spirits award winners.

OK, so we have fried food, sharks, a sideshow, trapeze lessons, and mechanical bulls. What’s left? Dead bodies! Our Body: Live Healthy will give you an “inside look at the benefits of a healthy lifestyle” which seem to be having your healthy body flayed and put on display at the county fair next to the sideshow.