Orange County Fair 2003 Homepage

Visiting The Fair With Immediate Family

Red Ripe Rockin' Banners and giant tomatoes placed throughout the park inform visitors that 2003 is "The Year Of The Tomato". A large eye-catching exhibit inside the main entrance captures the theme with a huge sand sculpture bearing the images of rock and roll superstars both past and present. I guess if you were a famous performer, you looked like a tomato and you were carved in sand, you would look like this.

The impressive exhibit was created by a company called Sandscapes and, believe it or not, consists only of sand and water -- no binders or chemicals are added. According to Sandscapes, the sand is densely compacted with a tamper inside wood forms. The forms are then removed, leaving a densely compacted block of sand from which the image is carved. Because the sand is compacted, it becomes more stable as it dries. Some performers seek fame and fortune, some look forward to receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but it seems to me that the highest honor a performer could receive is to be carved out of a densely compacted block of sand. Great job on a very unique exhibit. Rock on!