HANDSOME HORSES: If you've ever visited the OC Market Place in Costa Mesa, you know you're likely to see some gorgeous and/or outlandish and/or remarkable stuff. You might see a bevy of VW buses painted in swirly hues, and people rocking the tie-dye shirts and tiny round glasses, at the annual Woodstock party. You might see hearses line up for the annual autumn parade. And you might see some high, high hair, courtesy of the pompadours worn at the yearly Elvis Day in late August (more on that in a minute). All of those properties and cars and stars have their fans, but just about everybody who loves animals -- meaning everybody, yes? -- is drawn, magnet-like, to the Budweiser Clydesdales. Perhaps it is their commercial-related celebrity, or their noble stance, or their largeness (they're pretty darn big, even as horses go), or the famous wispy fringe at their hooves. But if you see a Clydesdale, or a group of them, it is pretty much fact that you're going to go snap a picture and coo in their general direction. And you're in luck, equine buffs: The Budweiser Clydesdales will call upon the OC Market Place on Saturday, Aug. 16 and Sunday, Aug. 17 to mark the re-opening of the event.
BECAUSE... the long-running weekend happening shutters each year during the Orange County Fair. Meaning? Something a little special is in order to welcome it back. The horses'll be near the Westside Grill each weekend day starting at noon and departing at 2 p.m. Sweet? A sign of fall and the holidays? We can't be the only ones that think of these pretty ponies when the weather grows chillier, thanks to those seasonal TV spots. Oh, and as for Elvis? Hang tight, King fans; the special day on which to get all shook up happens on Sunday, Aug. 24.