Fairgrounds History | Orange County Fair Preservation Society

1980’s 
The Fair became bigger and better in the 1980s.  The Equestrian Center opened in 1980.  Entertainment levels skyrocketed.  Performers included Helen Reddy, Hoyt Axton, Don McLean, Rita Coolidge, Wolfman Jack, Roy Orbison, the Righteous Brothers, Frankie Lane, the Kingston Trio, Marie Osmond, Andy Gibb, Johnny Rivers, the Mamas & Papas, Sha Na Na, Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers, Billy Vera and the Beaters, Captain & Tennille, and Johnny Cash and  June Carter.  The Fair became bigger than life when an inflatable 72-foot king Kong towered over the fairgrounds in 1984 and again in 1986 with an inflatable 50-foot Statue of Liberty.  Friends of the Fair Day, a day designed for the handicapped, was first held in 1984.  President Reagan and Governor Deukmejian visited the fairgrounds in 1986.  Skydivers “dropped” in on opening day in 1988 and Fair attendance hit an all time high with 544,816 as the decade ended.