SANTA ANA, Calif.—As the Orange County Fair returned July 16 following a yearlong absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be a lot that is the same, along with some notable differences. Fairgoers will still be able to enjoy a hot dog on a stick and other favorites, including the Alaskan racing pigs, but crowds won’t be as large and hours are different as part of COVID-19 protocols. The traditional early bird free admission on the first day of the fair was canceled this year. “We don’t want large crowds at the gate or long lines at the ticket booth,” so fairgoers are also being asked to buy their tickets online instead of at a ticket booth, said Michele Richards, chief executive of the Orange County Fair. But prices have not gone up and fairgoers won’t have to pay a fee to buy tickets online, Richards said. The fair’s …