COSTA MESA – More than a million people are expected to visit the OC Fair this summer to get a little taste of home.

The sights and smells of all that’s familiar about the Fair will blend with the new and unusual to create the eclectic 23-day event that draws thousands to the fairgrounds every day.

“Home Sweet Home” opens July 13 and runs until Aug. 12. It will offer creative cuisine, interaction with animals, art displays, entertainment, carnival rides and contests.

Here is a look at some of what fairgoers can expect.

SWEET STREET



For the first time at the OC Fair, nearly 3,000 square feet will be dedicated to the decadence of chocolate.

“This is the ‘sweet’ part of ‘Home Sweet Home,'” said Joan Hamill, community relations director for the OC Fair.

Fairgoers can learn the history of this sweet stuff and see some interesting artifacts, including a chocolate bar that was part of World War II rations, Hamill said.

But it is the art of chocolate that is expected to be the big draw.

Lauren McCusker, head chocolatier from Irvine-based Xan Confections, said she is excited to share her passion and knowledge for the sweet stuff.

“I think (chocolate) is something you’re always learning,” she said. “It’s definitely an art.”

McCusker is the mastermind behind the handmade chocolates from Xan.

“I would really like for people to understand and appreciate how chocolate is made and what it takes,” she said. “Each piece that we make is hand made. Sometimes I think that people don’t realize how much labor goes in to one little piece of chocolate.”

Xan’s latest creation, a cake-flavored chocolate truffle, will be available at this year’s Fair.

McCusker, 30, has been a chocolatier since 2007 and has worked for Xan since 2009. She found her way to working with chocolate after a major career switch.

The Mission Viejo resident went to college and got her degree in behavioral science. After researching a master’s degree program to become a marriage and family counselor, McCusker changed her focus.

“I always enjoyed baking as a kid and it was something I loved to do with my mom,” she said.

McCusker discovered her love for chocolate when she studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Arizona specializing in pastries and desserts.

She’ll be part of the team holding daily demonstrations on how the sweet is created in the Exhibit Promenade.

The Promenade is home to other sweet attractions, including pie-eating contests, daily cooking demonstrations and a cupcake competition.

LET FREEDOM RING



Also new this year, the OC Fair will host its first exhibit dedicated to Sept. 11, 2001.

A 29,000-pound piece of the North World Trade Center Tower will hold a prominent spot outside the Hangar.

“This is another way to celebrate the ‘Home Sweet Home’ theme,” Hamill said. “This tells the story of how we survived as a nation.”

The massive piece of twisted steel is on loan from Dave Helms, whose father-in-law acquired the piece and raised funds to build a memorial dedicated to 9/11 in Sacramento.

Helms’ father-in-law, Larry Davis, visited ground zero after the attacks on Sept. 11 and struck a deal with the New York Port Authority to take some pieces of the World Trade Center Towers and make a traveling memorial.

“My father-in-law, as most people were, was very moved by what happened,” Helms said. “He was very patriotic and he wanted to do something … so he started a memorial foundation.”

Two years later, Davis completed several traveling memorials that featured steel beams from the World Trade Centers.

Davis owned and operated Carnival Time Shows and took his World Trade Center pieces on the road to various fairgrounds throughout the state, including Lancaster, San Bernardino and Victorville.

Various fairs would pay to host the memorials and they’d also collect donations from fairgoers, all of which went toward creating a permanent memorial that is a fixture at Cal Expo in Sacramento.

When Davis died from pancreatic cancer in 2006, Helms decided to carry on his father-in-law’s tradition of taking history on the road for thousands to see.

“I saw what joy it brought him,” Helms said. “He realized people should know what happened and sometimes seeing a piece right in front of you can make a difference.”

Helms said the piece is usually transported by train and sometimes using a trailer, although it’s technically too heavy to be towed on the roads.

The Sacramento memorial is a 100,000-pound water feature with a granite ball that bears the names of all who were killed in the World Trade Center attacks. The flow of the water spins and rotates the ball so every name can be seen.

Donations Helms collects at various fairs go to his father-in-law’s foundation and the maintenance of the permanent exhibit.

In addition to a display with the steel beam, there will be a nightly tribute those who serve in the military.

“A Salute to Heroes” will include a video and a fireworks and laser show nightly at 8:20 p.m. at the Hangar.

Orange County is home to other 9/11 memorials including one in Fountain Valley near the library titled, “Fountain Valley Memorial Against Terrorism”.

The concept was created by Ben Narodick, who worked to complete the project in 2002 to earn his Eagle Scout honor.

Laguna Beach is also home to a sculpture that was unveiled on Sept. 11, 2011 in Heisler Park.

Huntington Beach police and firefighters have pieces of the World Trade Center they are also working on using for a memorial at City Hall.

QUIRKY COLLECTOR



One of the most well-known things about the OC Fair is its ability to draw out interesting hobbies from hundreds of locals.

Artists, bakers, knitters and collectors can showcase whatever hobby sparks their passion.

For Placentia resident Steven Swift, that would be collecting international moist towelettes; the kind restaurant customers use after eating a plate of ribs.

A self-proclaimed “neat freak,” Swift said his collection started by chance in 1991.

He was working in Newport Beach as a graphic design art director and often would head to lunch at El Pollo Loco.

“They’d always give out these free wet naps,” he said. “I always took an extra one in case I needed it later.”

A small collection started in his desk drawer. His co-workers caught on and started poking fun at Swift, but they also added to his collection.

“A lot of my collection is from people who make fun of me yet love to send them to me,” Swift said.

So far, Swift has about 200 moist towelettes. His oldest dates back to 1979.

He has one from Hooters, one with a drawing of Spock from Star Trek, one from Paris Las Vegas and another from the Elephant Bar.

The Star Trek wet naps are the only ones he had to buy.

“I purchased them on E-Bay,” he said. “It’s a bizarre collection to begin with, but Star Trek wet naps are even more bizarre.”

This is the first time Swift has entered his collection in the Fair, but he has been a collector of knick knacks for years and has even passed on the tradition to his children.

His son, Nate Swift, 12, also has a collection at the Fair, in the kid’s division.

Nate collects vintage cans with his last name on them and with quirky contents such as beef brains and sweetbreads.

This tradition was started by his father, who thought the cans were funny and first used one as a planter in his office.

“I started it but he likes anything that I like,” Steven Swift said.

Catch the Swifts’ collections at the Collections Gallery.

ANIMAL WHISPERER



Although farming was in the family, Evy Young never envisioned she would take up the business, especially living in Orange County.

Young runs what may be the biggest draw for children and families at the fair: all things animals.

“I was always comfortable around animals,” she said. “(Farm animals) really do take a lot of care. Even (after) 12 years, I’m still learning.”

Young’s grandparents were farmers in the Philippines who raised pigs, grew mangos and harvested rice.

Her roots were in agriculture and in college she studied food and nutrition.

“Along with the crops come the animals,” she said.

Young runs the farming and education programs year-round for Centennial Farms and will be heading up the livestock exhibits and the farm exhibits at the OC Fair.

Her favorite animals on display this year are the Jersey cows because of their big, sweet eyes and their willingness to interact with the audience, she said.

Young said she also loves baby goats, called kids, and baby chicks that children can pet as part of the exhibit.

The most unique animal fairgoers will see this year is a horned cow that Young said is always a draw.

“They’re called the Watusi cattle and they’re from Africa,” she said. “They are a special breed of cattle with big horns. Those are always fun to see.”

The animal and farming exhibits are open every day at the fair.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7953 or jfletcher@ocregister.com