To The Fair August 2011 (Page Five)

Did You Know? - The company was incorporated, in 1914, as the "National Toy Company", but by 1916 had included household appliances in their product range. This expansion led to the name change to the "National Company, Inc.". By 1923 the product line included toys, food mixers, and radio components. Radio components were to play an important part in the company's growth in the mid 1920s as they moved in to the large scale manufacture of capacitors. It was at this time that two engineers from Harvard University, Fred H. Drake and Glen Browning, approached National to manufacture components to their specifications for a radio receiver of their own design.

Through the 1970s and 1980s, National survived as a government contractor and ceased development and production of civilian equipment. However, by 1991, after continuing difficulties, the company ceased trading.

Did You Know? - Since 1989, Alaska has hosted the annual World Ice Art Championships. Nearly 100 sculptors come from around the world each year to sculpt large blocks of pristine natural ice sometimes referred to as "Arctic Diamonds." The event is run almost exclusively by volunteers.

The Ice Museum returns for a second year at the Orange County Fair in Costa Mesa, doubling in size and becoming even more ornate in the process.

At 1,800 square feet, the "museum" (read: meat locker) features a fantasy underwater theme that includes colorful coral, diaphanous jellyfish and a resplendent King Neptune astride his seahorse – all carved from ice.

The cool exhibit is a hot attraction during the dog days of July and August.

Visitors are offered loaner fleece ponchos in three different thicknesses to keep warm while in the sub-freezing gallery.

In addition, Dominique Colell (aka "Ice Queen"), and her troupe of all-women ice carvers ("The Chainsaw Chicks"), will be giving demonstrations in the museum three times daily at 2:30, 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. Entry to the Ice Museum is free with fair admission.

Did You Know? - Ice sculpture is a form of sculpture that uses ice as the raw material. Sculptures from ice can be abstract or realistic and can be functional or purely decorative. Ice sculptures are generally associated with special or extravagant events because of their limited lifetime.

Did You Know? - The act known as eskimo kissing in modern western culture is loosely based on a traditional Inuit greeting called a kunik.

A kunik is a form of expressing affection, usually between family members and loved ones, that involves pressing the nose and upper lip against the skin (commonly the cheeks or forehead) and breathing in, causing the loved one's skin or hair to be suctioned against the nose and upper lip. A common misconception is that the practice arose so that Inuit could kiss without their mouths freezing together. In fact, it is a non-erotic form of greeting that serves as an intimate way of greeting one another for people who, when they meet, often have little except their nose and eyes exposed.

When early explorers of the Arctic first witnessed this behavior they dubbed it Eskimo kissing. In its western form it consists of two people rubbing noses together. One of the earliest representations of the Eskimo kiss comes from Robert Flaherty's 1922 film Nanook of the North, considered by many to be the first real documentary or ethnographic film. It is possibly from this source that the non-Inuit/Eskimo public became aware of this convention.

Did You Know? - Absolutely. Don't worry, you can easily stay in a Bubble RollerTM for 40+ mins and you will not run out of air. The rides are typically 3-5 mins each and by that time you will be exhausted and laughing uncontrollably after your fun and energetic experience. The Bubble RollersTM are very durable, strong, non toxic, flexible and environmentally friendly.

Did You Know? - A fajita is a term found in both traditional Mexican cuisine and in Tex-Mex cuisine commonly referring to any grilled meat served on a flour or corn tortilla. The term originally referred to the cut of beef used in the dish which is known as skirt steak ] Popular meats today also include chicken, pork, shrimp, and all cuts of beef.

In Spanish "faja" means belt or girdle; "fajita" is the diminutive form. In original Tex-Mex culinary parlance, fajitas are a dish with roots in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas made from a specific cut of meat: skirt steak. Considering the appearance of the meat -– a strip about 18 inches long and about one inch thick -– and its placement in the beef carcass beneath the heart and lungs, fajita (little belt) is a particularly apt nickname.