The waiting is finally over. The always anticipated California State Fair opens today, July 14, and with it comes its usual traditions, which of course include “fair food.”
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Unique fried foods like the ones advertised on this sign at a past California State Fair are among the annual event’s most popular edible items. / Valley Community Newspapers photo, Lance Armstrong
This is the time that guests of the event put aside their general eating habits and partake in a wide variety of edible assortments ranging from longtime favorites such as corn dogs and cotton candy to just about any fried food imaginable.
Although many reports have been made regarding the fair’s food offerings, less emphasis is generally placed on the food vendors themselves.
And these vendors undoubtedly have many unique details to tell about themselves and their histories in business.
Despite their busy schedules as they prepared for this year’s fair, several vendors dedicated time to share information about themselves, the fair and their food offerings.
Milo Franks’ corn dog stands
One such individual was corn dog vendor Milo Franks, who volunteered the obvious observation that he has a surname that is quite fitting for a man in his line of business.
Franks, 61, who lives in Pilot Hill, near Auburn, said that he has seen the concessions at Cal Expo grow tremendously in his four decades of selling corn dogs at the State Fair.
“I’ve been working at the State Fair since the second year it was here (at Cal Expo) in the new facilities,” said Franks, who also sells pizzas with dough made on the fair’s premises. “I can remember there were stands here that were actually made out of those cargo vans that you can rent nowadays. And there were tents back then. Guys used to call them knock down joints. They were canvas (with 2-foot by 4-foot boards). Now it’s just nothing to have $2,000 or more invested in a stand.”
In an attempt to bring entertainment to the fair, Franks is working with his secretary, Georgeanne Clasen, to present the California State Fair’s first corn dog eating contest.
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Milo Franks, who has been selling corn dogs at the State Fair for four decades, passes out a cash reward for a corn dog eating contest. The contest will make its California State Fair debut on July 21. / Photo courtesy, Georgeanne Clasen
The qualifying round of the contest will be held on July 21 and 22 and the finals will be held on July 23.
The cost to enter the contest is $30 and the first place prize is $2,000, second prize is $500 and third is $300.
Although Franks, who enjoys racing hot rods at the Sacramento Raceway in his spare time, has spent two-thirds of his life as a corn dog salesman, he said that
Things You'll Need:
- Sunny day (65-85 degrees)
- Rubbing compound
- Absorbent cloth
- Paint brush
- Clear coat
- Water
- Soap
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Step 1
Clean each fiberglass panel and let dry before you begin to restore color on a fiberglass fair ride. Each scenery panel will need to have the face cleaned from the residues of dirt that collect on the surface during the traveling from one location to another. Use plain soap and water and absorbent cloth (towels) to wipe the surface clean. Normally, these steps would be done when the ride was assembled. For dissembled rides, you should have enough sawhorses to support each panel above the ground, keeping the panel level during the procedure.
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Step 2
Place the tips of three fingers that are covered by a soft cloth into the rubbing compound so that you have at least a half dollar-sized glob on your fingers. Place the rag and compound onto the top left hand corner of the scenery panel and begin to work the compound into the surface of the paint and clear
coat that covers the art on the panel. Begin to rub the compound in circles of no bigger than five inches. Rub ten times and move your fingers over to create another five-inch circle. Move from left to right, then down, then right to left, down, and so on.
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Step 3
Go back to the top of the panel with a clean, dry piece of absorbent cloth and wipe away the residue left behind by the rubbing compound. Like a wax, the rubbing compound has done its job and needs to be removed. By using a towel or cloth to wipe away the panel before cleaning, you can help to blend in an even rubbing across the surface of the panel. Take away the first layers of clear coat or even paint itself, and the colors that will show through will be vibrant and new.
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Step 4
Wash the panel with water. Use more absorbent cloth to remove any residue. Use plain water and completely clear the surface of the fiberglass art panel before coating the panel with a protecting clear coat. Allow the panel to dry for at least four hours before moving on. The panel will need to dry in all the corners that have been wet and you should only finish the project on a completely dry fiberglass art panel.
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Step 5
Cover the art panel with protecting coats of polyurethane or varnish when finished. Depending on the finished look you want, the right clear coat will give you exactly the look you need. Use a brush to even apply the coating, allow a dry time of at least twenty-four hours before attempting to transport the panels to a new location.































