Judges' Choice: An oil painting, “Satellite Shot/San Francisco Bay,” won Casey Bemis a first place in the fair's fine arts division. Her father told her it looked like a satellite picture of the bay, so the name stuck.
Background: Bemis, 28, of Ramona earned bachelor's and master's degrees in fine arts. She is a professional artist.
How she got started: Bemis was headed for a career in computer graphics until she took a fine arts class that got her hooked on painting.
Comment: “I learned how to paint and said 'Wow!' and I just kept painting. It just sort of clicked.”
To learn more: Bemis suggests visiting art museums, looking at art books in the library and taking classes at a community college or an adult school.
Today's picks
Grandstand Stage: “Triple Threat Tour” of country artists BlackHawk, Little Texas and Restless Heart, 7:30 p.m. Free with fair admission for unreserved seats; limited reserved seating available.
Highlights: Kids' Day, with free admission for children 12 and under; children's events all day in the San Diego Pavilion on Wyland's Island; 4H/FFA horse show, all day, Del Mar Arena; bubblegum-blowing contest, noon, Plaza Stage; floral design demonstration, 11 a.m., Flower Show Stage; performance by The Dixie Hasslers, 12:30 p.m., O'Brien Stage; violin-making demonstration, 6:30 p.m., Design in Wood area; performance by Little Charlie & the Nightcats, 9 p.m., Finish Line Stage.
Newsroom at the Fair: Meet Readers Representative Gina Lubrano and Business writer Michael Kinsman, 1 to 4 p.m.
Facts about the fair
What: San Diego County Fair.
Where: Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd.
When: Through July 4. Closed Mondays except July 3. Gates open 10 a.m. Admission: $11; seniors 62 and older, $6; children 6 to 12, $6; children 5 and younger, free.
Information: (858) 793-5555, (858) 755-1161 or www.sdfair.com. Discounts: Value Pack ($43) includes four admissions, four soft-drink coupons (good with a food purchase) and 20 ride coupons. (Each ride takes 3-6 coupons.) Value Pack purchased at IKEA includes a parking pass. A three-day Frequent Fairgoer Savings Pass is $23.
Parking at fair: Cars and motorcycles, $8; recreational vehicles, $10; preferred parking close to the O'Brien Gate, $13 (no motor homes).
Public transportation:
Amtrak and Coaster train service during the run of the fair. The Coaster does not operate Sundays or July 4 and is limited July 3. Both stop at the Solana Beach station, two miles from the fairgrounds. The North County Transit District's Breeze shuttle buses will operate between the Solana Beach train station and the fairgrounds every 25 minutes between 9:35 a.m. and 12:05 a.m.
Newsroom at the Fair
You are welcome to stop by The San Diego Union-Tribune's Newsroom at the Fair. The exhibit is off the Plaza de Mexico near the Grandstand entrance.
Browse a display of our history and explore the technology that brings you the daily newspaper and SignOnSanDiego.com, the U-T's Internet site.
Information online
SignOn has a special Web site for fair news and information this year: http://fair.uniontrib.com
