EDITORIAL:

Did you have fun at the Orange County Fair this year?

We sure did.

Well, more or less.

Of course, there were the terrific concerts like B.B. King’s to open the show. And other luminaries like Emmylou Harris. And, naturally, the pig races thrilled fairgoers as they do every year.

But this year, we wanted to immerse ourselves more in the fair’s fun. A couple of our reporters actively participated in the fair and wrote about it to give you more of a first-person feel.

First, Alan Blank bravely sampled deep-fried fare like SPAM, ravioli, Pop Tarts (!) and frog legs. Was it a coincidence he came down with a bellyache that kept him out of the office a short time later? We may never know. But he said the deep-fried food was delicious. Of course, he never did get around to wolfing down a deep-fried White Castle hamburger.

Then, our intrepid Blank submitted to the cruelties of public humiliation under the guidance of a hypnotist. He danced and sang like a “Macho Man” straight from the Y-M-C-A and pirouetted like a ballet dancer. You can see it for yourself on our website. (Disgruntled politicians not happy with one of Blank’s articles might want to console themselves with the incriminating video from time to time).

Since Blank set the bar so high, it was up to Daniel Tedford to undertake the most dangerous mission: enduring the kiddie rides. Not to diminish the risk, when we say “kiddie rides,” we’re thinking maybe “Rosemary’s Baby,” Chucky or Damien Thorn. Or, on a good day, the laughing YouTube baby. That is to say, you’d have to be nuts, or fearless, to get on those contraptions.

Tedford, we’re proud to say, didn’t lose his lunch, though his belly staggered like that magnitude 5.4 shaker this week.

We hope he doesn’t have to call in sick Monday.

And we hope you get out to the fair today before it closes. You don’t want to wait a whole year before you get another chance to gobble down a fried Twinkie. May we humbly suggest, though, you try the hypnotist before you eat that fried food and get on the G-Force. It could help you keep your courage — and your lunch.