Story from the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, by Brian Day, Staff Writer

POMONA - The L.A. County Fair honored military, police and fire personnel Friday on the eighth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.Members of military, police and fire agencies and a guest were admitted to the fair for $1, which was donated to the non-profit veterans' group, USA Cares, fair officials said.

Fair officials declared Friday "A Day for Heroes."Television personality Steve Wilkos, of the syndicated series "The Steve Wilkos Show," attended the fair as a spokesman for USA Cares. Wilkos served six years in the U.S. Marines and 12 years as a police officer in Chicago.

Despite his success as a the host of a TV talk show, Wilkos said his proudest accomplishment is his military service. "That's the thing I'm most proud of in my life ... that I was a Marine," he said.  Wilkos has served as a national spokesman for USA Cares for a year.  "It's just a great organization," he said. "Just helping the families that need help."

USA Cares is dedicated to fulfilling the needs of deployed soldiers and veterans and their families, USA Cares spokesman John Revell said.

In a written statement, L.A. County Fair spokesman Dale Coleman thanked those who serve the country.   "We must always remember the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001," he said. "We can never do enough for the brave men and women who sacrifice so much to keep us free. We here at the L.A. County Fair are truly honored to have the opportunity to say thank you."

On Friday, fair officials announced they will extend the $1 admission price for military, fire and police personnel for an additional three Fridays, Revell said. They will also continue donating proceeds from the discount admission tickets to USA Cares.  We are so thrilled the L.A. County Fair has been so generous to us," Revell said. "It's very, very heartwarming."

In addition to meeting with Wilkos for autographs and photos, fairgoers were invited to write a personal message to a soldier on small squares of cloth, which USA Cares will sew into quilts and distribute to wounded veterans

For the rest of this story and pictures of the event click here