About the Fair

«««Hometown Fair Board Needs Members«««

The Manhattan Beach Hometown Fair Board, an 18-member, all volunteer board, is looking for new members. If you are a resident of Manhattan Beach and you are interested in helping to plan and participate in the South Bay’s favorite fair, held annually in early October, please send an e-mail to vpandsouthstage@mbfair.org, or call 310-487-4460.

b About the Fair a

The goal of our community fair is to create a weekend event where locals can support each other as customers and operators of fun booths while raising funds for local charity organizations. Our fair is distinguished in that:

b General Fair Information a

Please :

·       NO dogs, skateboards, scooters, roller blades, roller-skates, or bikes.

·       There are bike racks at both entrances.

·       There are NO pet facilities.

·       To be fair to your pets, let them relax at home.

¯FREE Parking and Shuttle Service

FREE parking and continuous round trip bus shuttle service is available all day Saturday and Sunday from the Northrop/Grumman parking lot (see location below). The shuttle service parking is located at the corner of Aviation Boulevard and Marine Avenue in Redondo Beach. Follow the signs to the shuttle bus stop. Shuttle hours are 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday and 8:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

¯There is NO Early Shuttle for 10K Runners (To find out more about the 10K Run, click here!)

Important Note: The Hometown Fair will no longer be providing early shuttle bus service to the start of the 10K run on Saturday morning. The Manhattan Beach Hometown Fair is a separate organization and is not affiliated with the 10K Run Committee. For more information about getting to the start of the race, please see the FAQ on the 10K Run website (click the link above).

¯Disabled Parking

Disabled parking is available at the north end of Valley Drive. Persons needing disabled parking may access this area from the corner of Blanche and Valley Drive.

¯Information/Lost and Found

There are two Information Booths, one on Live Oak Field, and one on Dorsey Field. Each Information Booth displays a large map of the Fair.

***Parents are encouraged to arrange a meeting place in case a child becomes lost.***

b Fair Events a

¯Opening the Fair

Every year, the Mira Costa Marching Band officially opens the Manhattan Beach Hometown Fair at 10:00 on Saturday morning by marching down Valley Drive through the fairgrounds and performing in front of the Joslyn Center. In recent years, a group of Woodies has led the parade, followed by the marching band. Be sure to watch for special guests who will be riding in the Woodies as they lead the parade to open the Fair.

¯Antique Cars

There will be a display of Woodies, which are owned by Manhattan Beach residents, on 15th Street, near the Post Office. Woodies were first produced in 1929, and some version continued through the 40s. The cars had wood panels on the doors – thus the name “Woodies.” Eventually, they fell out of favor, and into disrepair. However, in the past ten or twenty years, there has been a renewed interest in them, and people have been buying them and restoring them. The Woodie is really the original station wagon, and could even be considered the first SUV.

b Arts and Crafts a

The Hometown Fair features more than 200 arts and crafts booths, showcasing everything from glass, metal, wood, and ceramics to oil painting, watercolors, jewelry, clothing, and more. The artists participating in the fair are selected by a jury. The objective is to have an interesting mix of unique quality items available for the fair goers.

The Arts and Crafts Application will be available for downloading from this website on April 1. The deadline for submitting an application is July 1.

b Joslyn Center Community Showcase a

There are many activities taking place in the Joslyn Center, all day Saturday and Sunday.

Ø The Joslyn stage features continuous entertainment, starting at 10:00 each day. Performers featured in past years include Beach Cities Dance, Kelly School of Irish Dance, Music Rhapsody, Little Dragon's Karate, El Segundo Community Concert Band's Flute Choir, Hype Studios, and Sew Fun/Sew Easy.

Schedules for Joslyn stage entertainment will be posted on this site in September.

Ø There will be an Amateur Art Exhibit, featuring various categories of arts and crafts, with ribbons awarded to the best in each category. Participants must be local residents and amateur artists. Arts and Crafts vendors are not eligible to participate.

The Amateur Art Exhibit Application will be available for downloading from this website starting in April until a week before the Fair.

Ø The Manhattan Beach Historical Society will display pictures, books, and other interesting information about the city’s history.

Ø The LA Southwest Guide Dog Raisers may be there with one or two guide dogs.

b Food and Drink a

¯Food Booths

Food, Food, Food! A veritable smorgasbord of food is available on both Dorsey and Live Oak fields. Available for your dining pleasure are hot entrees – hot dogs, corn dogs, hamburgers, tacos, fish tacos (a fair favorite), pizza, BBQ, Polish sausage, teriyaki bowls, Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches, tri-tip, pulled pork, and chicken on a stick. Quench your thirst with a variety of refreshing drinks – water, lemonade, iced tea, regular and diet sodas, smoothies, lemon chill, Hawaiian shave ice, root beer floats, iced cappuccino, Snapple and Gatorade. Don’t forget to satisfy your craving for sweets with funnel cakes, brownies, Krispie Kritters, candy, apples slices with caramel, donuts or ice cream. For those in-between-meal munchies, don’t miss the ever-popular pepper-bellies or other snacks like Kettle Korn, nachos, pretzels, and churros.

The food booths are staffed by non-profit organizations only. No commercial food organizations are accepted.

The Food Booth Application will be available for downloading from this website on April 1.

Remember the Hometown Fair's Chili Cook-Off of many years ago?? Well, it’s back!!

Do you have the perfect chili recipe? Do you specialize in “the kind mom used to make,” or do you make it with a “special ingredient?” Is the flavor off the heat index chart? Has anyone ever told you that you should enter a contest? Well, now is the chance to do just that.

The Manhattan Beach Hometown Fair is looking for individuals or teams to enter this year’s Chili Cook-off, which will be held Sunday, October 4, from 10 to 4 on the Tennis Courts, next to the Ganz Memorial. There is no cost to enter the cook-off; however, it will be limited to the first 10 qualified applications that are received.

Our illustrious judging panel will include members of our restaurant and bar community that we all know and love. Prizes for various categories will be given out with the “Ultimate Chili Preparer” being crowned at the end of this event.

¯Beer Garden

The Beer Garden, which is located on Dorsey Field at the north end of the fairgrounds, serves beer and wine, along with pear cider. The Beer Garden opens at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and sells beer and wine tickets until 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

The Beer Garden is staffed by local charities established for the benefit of Manhattan Beach youth. A drawing takes place in June, where four of the charities are selected to operate the Beer Garden. Each group selected will receive a portion of the net proceeds.

The Beer Garden Application will be available for downloading from this website on April 1. The deadline for submitting an application is in June. Check the application for the exact date.

¯Wine Garden

The Wine Garden is located at the basketball courts, which can be reached via Live Oak Field. The Wine Garden serves premium wines in a casual and comfortable garden-like setting. Wine Garden hours will be posted in The Beach Reporter on Thursday before the Fair and at the Info Booths during the Fair.

b Free Speech a

Our designated Free Speech area is at the north end of the fairgrounds. For safety reasons, this is the only space where registered non-profit organizations and political groups may set up booths and disseminate information about their cause. Eligible groups include those where the interest or cause involves public safety, public awareness, community awareness or local issues. Nothing may be sold at the Free Speech booths, nor may physical services be provided, but groups may hand out information and pamphlets in the designated Free Speech area.

b Fun & Games a

¯Paid Games

You will find paid games booths on both Live Oak and Dorsey Fields. Among the games offered in past fairs were the Ring Toss, Kool Pool, Ball Toss, Basketball Toss, Bean Bag Toss, Wiffle Ball Toss, Alligator Ring Toss, Sponge Toss, Bowling Ski Ball, Knock Out Pool Ball, Bumper Cars, Speed Gun Baseball, Goldfish Ping Pong Toss, Sand Candy Art, Beauty Shop, Hair Spray Booth, Nail Painting/Color Hair Spray, Dragon Slime, Face Painting, Cookie Decorating, Tattoos, Jewel Hunt, Glider Throw, the Rock Wall/Rappel Tower, and the Ladder Guys.

¯Free Games

Children of all ages enjoy the free games offered at the Hometown Fair. Each race or game is typically offered in heats for ages 4-7, 8-12, 14-18, and 19+ for the adults. Games typically include a water balloon toss, a 3-legged race, a sack race, an egg toss and several other surprises. All game winners in each age group receive prizes that have been generously donated by our local merchants. For children under 4, we have a magician that will perform both days at the Tot Lot, a Treasure Hunt for toys, roaming clowns, and of course our famous Toddler Trot and Diaper Derby races (see below).

¯Diaper Derby and Toddler Trot Races

The annual Diaper Derby and Toddler Trot races are a hit for both the parents and the children racers alike! Entrants for the Diaper Derby must still be crawling, and for the Toddler Trot, are walkers under 24 months. Parents… bring your cameras. It is a hoot!

You can also get an application by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to:

b Kid Country a

Kid Country is Family Country! There are a number of attractions that return every year due to popular demand, such as the pony rides, the petting zoo, Henry Lizard Lover and his awesome lizards, a show that features various wild animals, and the giant 50-ft slide.

The Vamphear Circus will be returning with some repeat favorites and some new acts. Individual circus acts are scheduled all day Saturday and Sunday.

Some of the Vamphear Circus acts that have appeared in years past (and may be back this year as well) are:

Ø Ted Shred--Fire Manipulator & Escape Artist, who performs a "Houdini-esque" straightjacket and chain escape as well as his amazing and dangerous world of fire.

Ø David Markam--Miracle Man, who thrills the audience throwing knives around a beautiful young lady.

Ø Bill Perron--Swami of El Monte, who performs magic and mentalism. Bill astonishes his audiences with uncanny mind reading, mentalism and displays of unparalleled magic. A featured performer at Los Angeles's famed magic castle, Bill will amaze the audience with his feats of magic including his "severed arm" routine.

Ø Lady Links--Aerial Artist – This captivating aerialist performs intricate figures and flowing poses while suspended high above her audience by chains, chiffon tissues or Spanish web. The audience witnessed her death-defying drops and stratospheric pirouettes. She performs aerial ballet at its finest--without a net!

There will be an exhibit by the Manhattan Beach Roundhouse Marine Studies Lab and Aquarium – also known as the OTS (Oceanic Teaching Station), but commonly referred to as the “Roundhouse”.

As part of the National Child Identification Program, the Beach Cities Masonic Center hosts a table in Kid Country where they fingerprint children and provide an I.D. Kit to their parents. More than 800,000 children in America are missing each year. The National Child Identification Program, created in 1997, is a community service initiative dedicated to changing these statistics by providing parents and guardians with a tool they can use to help protect their children. The I.D. Kit allows parents to record the physical characteristics of their children along with their fingerprints on ID cards that are then kept at home with the parent. The program is the largest child ID effort ever conducted, and their goal is to reach all 60 million children in the United States.

b Stage Shows a

¯Main Stage

On Saturday, the Main Stage, located on Dorsey Field near the Beer Garden, will feature the Annual Battle of the Bands. Local amateur bands, the finalists selected at auditions in early September, will battle for the title – and a cash prize. There are also additional prizes for runner-ups. The winners will be announced on stage following the conclusion of the battle.

On Sunday, the Main Stage will feature a complete day of entertainment for your listening pleasure.

¯South Stage

The South Stage, which is located next to the Joslyn Center, offers continuous entertainment from 10:00 to 6:00 on Saturday and from 10:00 to 5:00 on Sunday. In addition to the Mira Costa Band performance, which officially opens the fair, the Hyperion Outfall Serenaders Dixieland jazz will perform on the South Stage. Entertainment will include music from soft country and blues to rock and roll.

South Stage schedules will be posted on this site in September.

b Hometown Fair T-Shirts a

The Hometown Fair sells T-shirts that feature a design by a local artist. The T-shirt booth is located on Live Oak Field, next to the Information Booth. Sizes available are Youth S, M and L, and Adult S, M, L, XL and XXL. Every year, the T-shirt booth is staffed by employees of The Beach Reporter.

¯Past T-Shirt Design Contest Winners

Ø 2002 – George Watanabe (another of George’s designs also won in 1994)