P-Nuttles at the Fair

By David Allen on October 1, 2010 4:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) |

There's no official P-Nuttles stand at the L.A. County Fair anymore, although at least one stand does sell the nuts among other products. The stand across from the Clock Tower, the one people remember, didn't return for the 2009 and 2010 fairs. Some fairgoers fondly recall how employees standing in front of the stand would put a scoop of the toffee-coated peanuts in your hand.

Jean Nist worked at the stand for years going back to the 1970s. Her son Jon Nist and daughter-in-law Ruthie Baudoin sent me the following two snapshots. Jean Nist is behind the counter at left (dig the '70s threads, man) and being hugged below by a radio newsman whose copter had landed by the stand.

P-Nuttles, introduced to the world in 1946, are still made by Adams & Brooks and can be found in stores. As well as at the Fair, if you know where to look.

"There are two sisters (Kim and Corey) who still give out these samples at one of the fruit smoothie stands which offers P-Nuttles," Baudoin writes. "The sisters worked with Ms. Jean and Jon back in the day. Long live P-Nuttles and the old stand!"

1 Comments

DebB said:

I've noticed a lot of changes at the Fairplex over the years, and this year there seemed to be more than usual, including the missing P-Nuttles stands. There was always one behind the garden building, with people giving out samples. I noticed right away this year that that one was gone, along with the clock tower and the horseshoe-shaped food building.

It's odd -- because while I miss these things, none of them were things that I frequented much during the years. And yet I feel a certain regret at their demise, like some part of my past has disappeared.

[I know what you mean. They're just part of the visual landscape of the Fair. -- DA]

October 4, 2010 8:04 AM