Did you know more than 8,000 entries are submitted in the America's Kids contests from children and teens throughout Southern California? Or that the Fair's Culinary Styles and Tapestry entries have increased 200 percent? We have fried cuisine – and healthy choices, too – plus animals, rides and shopping galore! There are so many stories to tell at the L.A. County Fair:

• Its scientific name is Carcharodon carcharias, but most know it as the Great White shark – demon of the ocean. While we all have visions of this fascinating creator from the movie "Jaws," what most don't know is, it does not prey on humans. It prefers seals and fish. Learn more fascinating facts at Shark Encounter, a new attraction at the Fair, featuring a dive tank and an exhibit on the Great White.

• We know smoking and eating an unhealthy diet are bad for us, but how does our behavior literally change the composition of our internal organs? Our Body: Living Healthy offers an in-depth look at actual diseased specimens, comparing them to healthy ones. The plastinated bodies and organs were a hit at last year's Fair. Living Healthy takes a new spin on the exhibit.

• Food – glorious food! Deep-fried, chocolate-covered, on-a-stick, frozen, frosted, sprinkled with powdered sugar. Whatever you want, we have it here at the Fair. Deep-fried watermelon, Maple Bacon donut, deep-fried Kool-Aid, frog legs – it's all part of Fair Food Culture.

Don't like deep-fried food? The Fair offers an array of healthy choices, including options for vegetarians / vegans / gluten-free – there are a surprising amount!

• LA/Americana – Yes, summer fairs are a national tradition steeped in agricultural roots, but what makes the L.A. Fair truly L.A.? Strawberry blue cheese salads, celeb sightings, California history, fairgrounds used as film grounds, diverse food history, Plaza de las Américas.

• The Flower & Garden Pavilion celebrates our national parks.

• Kids will be kids, and they love to collect. Check out the hobby collection competition in America's Kids where you'll find an assortment of Pez dispensers, foreign postcards, matchbook covers and other oddities kids love to accumulate.

• Fair icon Chicken Charlie not only concocts amazing deep-fried delights, he also shares his good fortune with college students from Eastern Europe he employs on work visas. He will have several students working with him here at the Fair.

• Ray Cammack Show returns for its 27th year at the Fair. Not only is it a carnival, but they bring a city of services for their employees – a day care, a hair salon, a grocery store, even a Laundromat.