Established in 1880 as an agricultural fair, it’s safe to say the San Diego County Fair is one of the area’s most beloved annual events. This year’s theme is A Summer Pet-Tacular, with as always, a whirlwind of activities to choose from. The San Diego County Fair really is a feast for the senses, with a bit of everything from animal exhibits and horticulture displays to amateur art contests, plus plenty of food options and lots of fairground rides. One of the fair’s biggest draws each year is their entertainment lineup on multiple stages, this year set to include the likes of Foreigner, 2 Chainz and Jeff Dunham amongst the mainstage performers. Plenty of the area’s top talent including The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble, Matthew Phillips, Tom Greisgraber, Lissa Dee, Blame Betty, DayTripper and Stone Horse will also take part.
What do you feel makes County Fair such an institution in San Diego? “I grew up in New Jersey and the fair in my town was the one thing we had going on all year,” said singer Lissa Dee (June 27, 1:45 p.m.). “It was pretty small, and pretty underwhelming. The SD fair is like the fair I always dreamed of as a kid, so everything is exciting for me. The fried food, the giant turkey legs, the giant rides and incredible music! The whole thing is just nostalgic and fun for me.”
Singer Danielle Spade of Stone Horse (July 5, 8:30 p.m.) has performed at the fair several times. “The most memorable was when it had The Alice in Wonderland theme (2016). We wore pretty elaborate costumes and of course it was 98 degrees that day. As far as our set goes this year, I like to decorate with rugs and candles and to make it special…we’ll see what else I can get away with. I’m looking forward to the crowd’s response because it’s such a mixed bag of people who attend.”
Guitarist George Comes of Blame Betty (June 12, 4 p.m.) considers the event to be a rite of summer. “We enjoy playing for and being at the fair,” he said. “I’ve been attending the fair for decades. I like the Falafel burger, woodworking, the pop-up speakeasy, the Garden area and the Swifty Swine Pig Races!” This year will be Blame Betty’s 4th year in a row performing together
The group’s bassist Bobby Villa notes the fair takes good care of the bands. “The entire fair is such a great experience and having the privilege of playing and entertaining everyone is just so cool! The carts deliver us and all of our gear to the stage which has a sound system and soundman. We can just show up and play.It all adds up to an unbeatable opportunity for an artist to win over new fans. I like playing in front of such a big and diverse crowd,” said Blame Betty drummer Jim Buehl. “One year, some people told us they enjoyed our band better than the headlining act on the big concert stage. It was Canned Heat!
For more information, visit www.sdfair.com/events/entertainment/music.
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