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The cultures of Central America will be showcased this weekend as part of activities at the L.A. County Fair, which opens today.

Folkloric dancers and musicians representing Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama will be performing throughout the weekend at Fairplex's Plaza de Las Americas.

La Casa de la Cultura de Guatemala, (the Home of Culture of Guatemala), has organized its cultural festival, Una Guatemala por Conocer (A Guatemala to be Known), at the fair.

More than 60 Guatemalan artisans will display hand-made crafts and textiles from across Guatemala, according to a statement from La Casa de la Cultura.

La Casa de la Cultura will also name Assemblywoman Norma Torres, D-Ontario, an honorary guest of the festival. Torres is a native of Guatemala.

Opening ceremonies for the Central American activities are scheduled for 2 p.m. today and are expected to be attended by Torres and the counsel generals of the different Central American countries, the statement said.

For information on Fair activities go to www.lacountyfair.com.

Cal Poly Pomona has many things to boast about and it just added another: Award-winning wines.

The University entered its Horsehill Vineyards Zinfandel Rosé and its Zinfandel, which are the first vintages Cal Poly has produced, in the Fairplex's 70th annual Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition, the university announced Friday.

The competition took place at the end of May.

Cal Poly's Zinfandel Rosé earned a gold medal as Best of Class in the Best Rosé Limited Production category and its Zinfandel took a bronze medal in the category Limited Production Zinfandel from 2007 or Later.

The Zinfandel Rosé will be among the award-winning wines guest will be able to sample at tonight's Wine and Cars Under the Stars gala at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum at Fairplex.

Horsehill Vineyards wines are produced with grapes cultivated by the University's College of Agriculture students, faculty and staff on three acres of Cal Poly land.

The vines that produced the grapes grew from award-winning cuttings, some more than 100 years old, local winemaker Don Galleano collected from the De Ambrogio Ranch in Rancho Cucamonga prior to the land being sold for development, the university statement said.

To produce the wine the University's Collins College of Hospitality Management and the College of Agriculture worked with master winemaker Jon McPherson of South Coast Winery in Temecula and produced 328 cases of the Zinfandel Rosé using two-thirds of the 2008 grape harvest.

The remaining third of the harvest produced 30 cases of Zinfandel that Galleano aged for six months in oak barrels at the Galleano Winery in Mira Loma.

The Zinfandel Rosé is sold exclusively at the Collins College's Restaurant at Kellogg Ranch. Plans call for the Zinfandel to sell at the restaurant in the fall.

The Zinfandel Rosé can be ordered by going to www.csupomona.edu/~horsehill with additional information available by e-mailing Lisa McPheron at lcmcpheron@csupomona.edu or calling (909) 869-3151.

Tickets to tonight's Wine and Cars Under the Stars gala,  which runs from 7 to 11 p.m., are still available and will be sold at the door for $100 each with proceeds benefitting Fairplex's Child Development Center, the Millard Sheets Center for the Arts and the Fairplex Education Foundation.

The economic downturn has been difficult on many businesses and families, and Fairplex is no exception.

The organization has had to lay off 12 employees from various departments bringing its year round staff to 276, Wendy Talarico, Fairplex spokeswoman, said Friday.

"Prior to this we made every effort to cut expenses. This was the last resort," she said.

Employees have been notified they would be laid off during the last two weeks and represent departments such as information technology, grounds maintenance, facilities, and community and government relations.

"This was tough. Any kind of decision like this does not come lightly," Talarico said.

The duties of all those affected by the layoffs have been been reassigned to other Fairplex personnel, she said.

"We will still continue to deliver on our promises and commitments in those areas," Talarico said.

For Jim Henwood, chief executive officer and president of the Los Angeles County Fair Association, these are the first layoffs during his tenure at Fairplex. Henwood has been at Fairplex since 1995.

Although cuts had to be made in the area of community and government relations, they will not affect the organization's commitment to the community and efforts such the Pomona Youth and Family Master Plan, Henwood said.

"We take pride in our ability to be a support...in the needs of the greater community," he said. "Our goal is to continue to enrich and strengthen that."

Henwood said Fairplex is "in good shape" and prepared to meet its commitments, but it has seen fewer guests staying or planning events at the Sheraton Suites Fairplex and some events on other locations around Fairplex cancelled due to the economic downturn, he said.

Fans of the Ed Hardy clothing line may want to take time to the visit Fairplex this weekend and check out the company's sample sale.

The sale continues Saturday and Sunday at Fairplex Building 8, 1101 W. McKinley Ave.

The sale runs from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Clothing and apparel will be priced from $10 to $50.

Admission to the event is free. Parking is available at Gate 3 on McKinley Avenue.

Additional information is available by going to www.donedhardy.com.

POMONA - A proposal that could help the Los Angeles County Fair Association build a long awaited trade and conference center at the Fairplex will go before the City Council Monday evening.

The proposal would involve the city, through its redevelopment agency, providing the Fair Association with $6 million that would be used for the construction of the center.

In exchange Fairplex would double the portion of parking income it turns over to the city. That share is currently $74,500 annually and would increase to about $149,000 a year, according to a city staff report.

The city would also acquire housing covenants for 50 very low, low and moderate income rental spaces at the Fairplex trailer park for 55 years, the report said.

The Fair Association would have the option to buy the covenants back after one year from the time a certificate of occupancy is issued for the center.

Another option would be to purchase the covenants back at a later time but the Fair Association would receive less than the full value, the report said.

The money, $2.7 million of which would come from bond proceeds and $3.3 million from bonds proceeds set aside for low and moderate income housing, would help Fairplex raise the financing needed to build the $28 million trade and conference center, the report said.

POMONA - The Prolong Twilight Cruise Nights season kicks off Wednesday at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum at Fairplex.

This is the 11th season for the cruise nights, which take place the first Wednesday of the month beginning in April and end with the December cruise.

Admission is free.

Visitors will find hot rods built no later than 1970, along with custom, classic and muscle cars, according to a statement from the museum.

Various exhibits such as the 1933-1934 Ford Model 40, Banks Power: The First 50 Years and the Trophy Queens photos are also part of the activities.

The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum is at 1101 W. McKinley Ave., Building 3A at Fairplex.

Information: (909) 622-2133.

POMONA - Vintage and classic motorcycles will be the focus of attention Saturday at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum.

The museum is in Building 3A on the grounds of Fairplex, 1101 W. McKinley Ave. in Pomona.

The second annual Indian Motorcycle Day will be part of California Bike Week activities taking place at Fairplex.