In My Hometown (Glendora, California)

Bread and Butter Days
by Trisha Faye

IN MY HOMETOWN

“… this is your hometown …” Bruce Springsteen croons on the radio, evoking memories of my own hometown; Glendora, California.

In its early days, Glendora, incorporated in 1911, was a thriving citrus community – as many of the southern California towns lining the San Gabriel Mountains were. Proclaiming itself “Pride of the Foothills”, this small community was a natural for orange groves. Oranges thrived in the moderate climate, warmed by Pacific coast winds and sheltered by the foothills to the north. Aided by the railroad lines built across the nation providing easy transportation, orchards and packing houses sprang up across the inland acreage.

When I grew up there in the 60’s, there were still many orange groves, although not near what was around when my mother and father grew up in Glendora in the 40’s and 50’s. Today few groves still exist.

The lure of orchard work drew many good men, looking for steady work in the post-Depression years. It called to my Uncle Johnny, who worked at the Widman groves for many years. My Grandpa Jones soon followed, joining him in the orchards for a time, as he and Bea raised their family on Leadora Avenue.

President Taft himself was enamored of this sweet golden fruit. The June 10, 1911 Glendora Gleaner, the local paper at the time, reported that “… President’s well know preference for the California oranges. They are packed by the Glendora Citrus Association in quarter sawed oak boxes and put together with brass screws, and shipped once a month regularly to the President. The order for the White House supply was placed with the Glendora Citrus Association to fill by the Southern California Fruit Growers Exchange, because of the well known and recognized superiority of the fruit raised in the Glendora district …”

In 1915, the Citrus Protective League of California estimated that California’s citrus production exceeded $200 million dollars, from a total of 208,000 acres of citrus groves.

Life is always in flux, the only constant being that things are always changing. This goes for the popularity of the citrus industry also. In “Oranges for Health – California for Wealth”, Vincent Moses attributes real estate development and population growth following World War II as factors responsible for the decline of the citrus industry. He states, “One local grower mused that it was feasible to grow oranges when his land was worth $11,000 per acre, but when land values soared (to) $30,000 per acre orange growing ceased to be as compelling.”

Whether Glendora is filled with orange groves or rows of brand new houses, the scent of fresh orange blossoms, or the lyrics of a popular song, still take me right back to my childhood days, walking past the orange groves on the way to school.

From Beet Field to Fairplex

Bread and Butter Days
by Trisha Faye

FROM BEET FIELD TO FAIRPLEX

Time. It changes everything. Including county fairs.

On September 1, 1921, Pomona hosted a merchant’s exposition along the Southern Pacific Railway line in the downtown. Two men banded together and set in motion a chain of events that would forever change the Pomona area.

Clinton B. “Jack” Afflerbaugh, a Pomona druggist and city councilman joined forces with Harry LeBreque. LeBreque was a promoter for a railroad carnival, Foley & Burke Shows. The exposition featured exhibits in a tent with a side of carnival.

Success breeds bigger and better.

In 1922, organizers used a former beet field in Pomona to host the first Los Angeles County Fair. The fair ran for five days, October 17-21. It cost $63,000 to produce this inaugural fair, attended by 49,461 people.

The earliest festivities were not as grand as today’s are. The highlights were harness racing, chariot races, and an airplane wing-walking exhibition. Demonstrations included fascinating topics such as how to make toothpaste from orange by-products.

Life in the Pomona area was never the same.

Through the years the fair changed also. The former beet field grew to an area that now encompasses 543 acres. The carnival itself now spreads out over 13 acres.

The LA County Fair (formerly Los Angeles County Fair) is the fourth largest fair in the US, according to Wikipedia. Attendance now tops well over a million visitors, with the last few years hitting over 1.4 million guests.

The fairgrounds became ‘Fairplex’ in 1984. Although the ‘county fair’ still runs in September (moved to September in 1925), the grounds are open year round as a showground and exposition complex. This entity, that began its life as a beet field, now generates an economic impact of more than $250 million a year.

The fair’s growth was not all smooth. The Depression cast its ripples over all aspects of life. Including county fairs and other forms of entertainment. The 1930 attendance of 265,213 dropped to 233,350 in 1931.

To combat dropping attendance and declining funds, three counties banded together in 1932. Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside counties joined forces. It remained a tri-county fair over the next six years, through 1937.

Two events in 1933 helped the fair set a record attendance of 334,759.

First, California legalized wagering on horseracing. The Los Angeles County Fair was the first in Southern California that allowed attendees to bet on the horse races.

Secondly, a wedding was held at the fair, in front of the racetrack grandstand. On September 22, 1933, Monty Montana married Louise Archer. Buck Jones, a famous cowboy screen star, was the best man. The bride and groom rode to the altar on horseback. Monty Montana rode his trusted pinto, Comanche Spot. Louise Archer rode Lady Spot.

Following this hugely successful year, in 1934 the fair was extended to 16 days. The next year organizers added a day. The five day event now ran for 17 days. Length fluctuated by a few days back and forth. In 2012 the fair ran for a record 24 days.

The years slid by.

The economy and the nation recovered.

County fairs came and went. The area grew and flourished. The fair grew and remained an event that the local residents looked forward to each fall.

Since its inception in 1922, there have only been two times the fair was closed.

The first was during World War II. On December 14, 1941 – a week after Pearl Harbor – three Army regiments arrived as first units arriving for war duty. From 1942-1947 the US Army occupied the fairgrounds. No fairs were held during these war time years.

As there isn’t a historical marker, attendees rarely discover a little known fact. From May 7 to August 24, 1942, the fairgrounds also functioned as a Wartime civilian control Administration assembly center. More than 5,000 Japanese Americans were held here before being sent to different internment camps in the state.

In 1948 the fair reopened. Thummer was introduced as the official Fair mascot. America was in the mood to celebrate. Attended topped the one million mark for the first time in the fair’s history.

The fair remained opened until 2001, when it closed following the Sept. 11^th terrorist attack on the US.

Now, people attend the fairgrounds – or The Fairplex- year round. But come September, guests will be packing the 72+ acres of parking lots in search of fun, festivities, amusement rides – and lots of fried foods. Few will ponder this giant’s humble beginnings in a beet field in 1922.

 

Do you have any stories about ‘the good ole days’ that you’d like to share? Contact Trisha Faye at texastrishafaye@yahoo.com