Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Beauty Queen Vanishes!

Dear Matt:

Sponsored
Sponsored

Whatever happened to the "Fairest of the Fair" at the San Diego County Fair or Del Mar Fair?

-- Bob, via e-mail

Hey, you're right. Haven't seen her around lately, but never missed her till you said something. The Fairest (a.k.a. "Miss San Diego County"), traditional spokesqueen for the old Del Mar Fair, was a big deal every year since the '30s. If she survived all the later pageants, the winner had a chance to become Miss Universe or Miss Galaxy or Miss Crab Nebula or something like that. And she was always escorted by mariachi-suited "Don Diego" (Tommy Hernandez), local actor and the fair's goodwill ambassador for decades. He died in 1984, but when did she bite the dust? The "beauty" pageant was probably doomed before this, but in 2003 and 2004, there was some dispute over the rules and a big whoop-de-doo about who the real FotF was. They got that one straightened out behind the scenes with no hair-pulling or attempted stranglings with sashes. But some of the glitter was gone from the tiara. This was about the time that the fair administration and name changed, so I guess it was seen as a good chance to hustle her majesty off the stage too. It reportedly cost $85,000 a year to host the shindig anyway. One of the Fairest's main tasks was to appear on radio, TV, supermarkets, etc., as official good-looking fair promoter. A major PR function. In this modern world of spin control, how can public relations ever be left to the whims of a high school senior with puffy hair? The fair's PR function was reassigned to trained marketing people hired as interns each year. There's been no adequate substitute for the cheesecake factor.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

At 4pm, this Farmer's Table restaurant in Chula Vista becomes Acqua e Farina

Brunch restaurant by day, Roman style trattoria by night

Dear Matt:

Sponsored
Sponsored

Whatever happened to the "Fairest of the Fair" at the San Diego County Fair or Del Mar Fair?

-- Bob, via e-mail

Hey, you're right. Haven't seen her around lately, but never missed her till you said something. The Fairest (a.k.a. "Miss San Diego County"), traditional spokesqueen for the old Del Mar Fair, was a big deal every year since the '30s. If she survived all the later pageants, the winner had a chance to become Miss Universe or Miss Galaxy or Miss Crab Nebula or something like that. And she was always escorted by mariachi-suited "Don Diego" (Tommy Hernandez), local actor and the fair's goodwill ambassador for decades. He died in 1984, but when did she bite the dust? The "beauty" pageant was probably doomed before this, but in 2003 and 2004, there was some dispute over the rules and a big whoop-de-doo about who the real FotF was. They got that one straightened out behind the scenes with no hair-pulling or attempted stranglings with sashes. But some of the glitter was gone from the tiara. This was about the time that the fair administration and name changed, so I guess it was seen as a good chance to hustle her majesty off the stage too. It reportedly cost $85,000 a year to host the shindig anyway. One of the Fairest's main tasks was to appear on radio, TV, supermarkets, etc., as official good-looking fair promoter. A major PR function. In this modern world of spin control, how can public relations ever be left to the whims of a high school senior with puffy hair? The fair's PR function was reassigned to trained marketing people hired as interns each year. There's been no adequate substitute for the cheesecake factor.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Gonzo Report: Goose may have indie vibes, but they’re still a jam band

Fans turn out in force for show at SDSU
Next Article

The Fellini of Clairemont High

When gang showers were standard for gym class
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader