They're fun-filled events that put us in touch with all things agricultural: California's array of county fairs and food festivals. Our state's first recorded fair took place in San Joaquin County back in 1860. It was there that the first official horse race was held in California, continuing a tradition of linking races with fairs that began in 11th century England. In 1933, the California Horse Racing Act legalized betting on horse races, as long as some of the proceeds promote agriculture through fairs. Says Stephen Chambers, Executive Director of the Western Fairs Association, "It's interesting to look at horseracing as originally an agricultural competition. A hundred years ago, a fast racehorse was what got you to work. The best way to determine which were the fastest racehorses was to have them compete at fairs." Today, from the Del Mar Fair in San Diego County to the Del Norte Fair near the Oregon border, California has some 80 county fairs and hundreds of festivals showcasing everything from garlic to grapes and oysters to eggplant. "Fairs did more for agriculture in the west than any other single invention," observes Chambers, "because what they did was they brought together the very best products, judged them independently and then awarded ribbons, the icons of the fair industry to the very best." For farmers during the last century, that was critical to their success. They bred to the award-winning bulls and bought the prize-winning seeds. That accelerated the development of agriculture in the west. Despite the carnival-like atmosphere, fairs are not theme parks. Promoters say that first and foremost, these events celebrate the accomplishments of people in agriculture. A good example is the Rogers family from the small town of Greenville in Northern California's cattle country. We caught up with them (and their farm animals) at the Plumas County Fair last August. While oldest son Nathan brushed his steer, his little brothers P.J. (Patrick) and Taylor displayed their chickens. All their hard work paid off because P.J. walked away with a prized blue ribbon. Now's a great time to get up and out of your easy chair and visit some of our state's best fairs and festivals. There are many to choose from and chances are you won't have to drive far. Often, admission is just a few dollars. Once you've seen the prize-winning hogs and heifers, sampled blue ribbon jams and jellies, and entered the old-fashioned corn-shucking contest, there are often plenty of thrill rides to keep the kids entertained. For a complete list of California's fairs and festivals, including locations, dates, special events, and phone numbers, go to the California Department of Food and Agriculture's Web site at www.cdfa.ca.gov/events. If you have questions or comments about this story, E-mail Senior Producer Corita Gravitt at corita.gravitt@mailexcite.com.