Fair hours tweaked

The 2006 Orange County Fair will open at noon on Fridays, two hours later than in previous years, fair officials said Tuesday.

In the past, the fair was open from noon to midnight on Tuesday through Thursday, and Friday through Sunday it opened at 10 a.m. The fair still will be closed Mondays.

The decision to open later on Fridays was partly to create a uniform weekday schedule, but mainly because attendance in the first two hours of Fridays was low, said Orange County Fair spokesman Jeff Willson. Total attendance at the 2005 fair was 1,058,192 people ? the highest ever ? and Willson said there’s no prediction for 2006 but officials expect to break the 1 million mark a second time.

This year’s theme for the fair is “flower power.” Tickets remain at $8 for adults, $6 for people over 60, and $4 for kids from 6 to 12, with free admission for children 5 and under. Tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster or at the fair box office, which is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. A $2 discount is offered on tickets bought through July 6. Free admission and parking will be given to fair visitors during the first hour of opening day.

The fair runs July 7 to July 30 at the fairgrounds in Costa Mesa.