In a salute to grapes, the Fair Board has approved “Jammin’ at the Fair” as the theme of this year’s Orange County Fair, harmonizing with a concert lineup that will bring entertainment nightly to the Pacific Amphitheatre stage.

Continuing last year’s precedent, the 112th Fair will be in session for 21 days, July 9 through Aug. 1, closing on Mondays.

To launch the official 2004 Pacific Amphitheatre Summer Concert Series, on Friday, July 9, Orange County’s Pacific Symphony will team with the Fab Four, a Beatles tribute band that has been a crowd favorite in previous years at the Fair. Special admission prices will prevail on the Fair’s four Fridays, dubbed “T.G.I. Fridays.” For $19, ticket holders will gain entry to the concert plus free admission to the Fair. For the complete Pacific Amphitheatre schedule, visit www.ocfair.com.

Besides the schedule of internationally renowned musical artists at the Amphitheatre, the Fair again will offer a free concert series at the Citizens Business Bank Arena that includes a week devoted to tribute bands, and week-long stays by both “Weird Al” Yankovic and a week-long tribute to the classic Motown sound with the Funk Brothers.

The Arena also will host a number of other types of entertainment, all of which will be free with Fair admission. The Arena seating will be on a first-come basis.

One of Orange County Fair’s most popular attractions returns to the Citizens Business Bank Arena on Saturday, July 10, with afternoon and evening shows as intrepid jalopy drivers seek to survive the slam-bang action of the 4th annual “Orange Crush” Demolition Derby.

The Arena’s opening days will have special appeal for motorcycle fans, with freestyle motocross jumping on the dirt track on Friday, July 9.

Sundays in the Arena will have a Latino flavor, with festivals from noon to 10 p.m. on July 11, 18 and 25. continued inside Fiesta del Charro on Sunday, Aug. 1, the Fair’s closing day, will combine horsemanship skills and Latino music in matinee and evening shows. Fans of bullriding will see riders try to match their skills in the Arena with the ferocious Brahma bulls from Flying U Rodeo’s herd in two go-rounds on Saturday, July 31.

Grapes, the object of the 2004 Fair’s agricultural salute, reach California tables in three major forms, and are a mainstay of the state’s agricultural bounty. They are the basis of California industries for raisins, table grapes and wine, and provide cottage industries for boutique jams and jellies.

Vineyards cover 700,000 California acres, and 97% of all commercially grown U.S. table grapes come from California. Nearly half of the world’s raisins come from the state’s San Joaquin Valley. Grapes are the state’s second most valuable agricultural commodity at $2.58 billion. Wines are California’s third most valuable export, worth $490 million.

Grapes’ value is not just economic. New research shows that they are loaded with biologically active phytonutrients that fight cancer and heart disease.