GETTING WIND... that the fair is finally rolling into town? It's the mythical stuff of novels, movies, and ballads of long ago. The first person to spy a big top or a carnival ride, off in the distance, became the spontaneous town crier, alerting the rest of the citizens that the fair — the fair! — was on slow but steady approach. And while that particular mystique, of spying the Ferris wheel moving along at the edge of town, isn't felt quite as often in these modern days, we can still know the thrill of a fair's approach by gazing not at the far horizon but at the event's official web site. The OC Fair, in Costa Mesa, opens for its four-week-plus run on Friday, July 14, but if you crane your neck a bit, and squint down the road, and by "the road" we mean the OC Fair's site, you can see something sweet ahead of the actual opening: Pigs romping, snuffling, snoozing, and acting in adorable fashion at Centennial Farms. We know, the fair isn't even open yet, but the famous...
PIG CAM... is already up and running and ready for fair fans to coo over from their cubicles and couches. As of OC Fair Eve, July 13, no newborn piglets have made an appearance on the famous, live-from-Costa-Mesa camera, but several more mature, floppy-eared trotters have napped, played, and sniffed the air in contemplation. It's a gentle gesture on behalf of the historic fair, which has roots in the late 19th century, wanting to give animal aficionados a before-opening peek at the porcine shenanigans near that famous red barn. It's also nice for those people who, for various reasons, can't make the fair this year but still want a dose of critter-cute high jinks. Keep your eye, or snout, if you prefer, trained on Pig Cam in the days ahead, or watch the OC Fair's Facebook feed for more snapshots of all of the beautiful, furry, tail-swishing, feather-clucking beasties who'll make an appearance before the fair has its last bow on Aug. 13.
