Hands on the bar

The San Diego County Fair starts next month at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, but in the meantime one of the fair board members has been making good use of the facilities himself. On May 25 a bat mitzvah in the 17 Hands Bar at the Paddock was scheduled by Fred and Shari Schenk. He’s the San Diego lawyer, brother of Democratic ex-congresswoman Lynn Schenk and longtime backer of Gov. Jerry Brown, who named him to the board. Rent for the event was listed as $2250. According to the fair board’s website, the bar itself has been renamed during the run of this year’s fair: “The new U-T San Diego Paddock Lounge (also called 17 Hands), is an indoor eatery open from noon to 10:00PM, just off Plaza de Mexico. It features 20 taps of local and imported quality beers and a full bar in a roughhewn, warm atmosphere. Authentic Mexican food includes sopes and tacos with perfectly distinct flavors: Barbacoa, Adobada, and Pollo Desebrado. Open-air rail bars and communal tables give a front-row view of the varied Paddock events.”