Sacramento County Fair equals family fun

By Patrick Powers

How do you spell family fun?... SACRAMENTO COUNTY has a long history, which dates back to 1937, when it debuted in the city of Galt on the southern edge of the county. was the track that presented the Great American Duck Races. These ducks do not jet, but waddle very fast.

FAIR. I am telling you to mark your calendars for Memorial Day weekend 2024, when the fair will return to the Cal Expo fairgrounds.

This year’s fair, which was held May 25 to 29, was filled with constant attractions and entertainment, which delighted families from the capital city and beyond.

For those who missed out on this year’s edition of the fair, my time spent at the fairgrounds on opening day was captured by the lens of my camera, and offers a sampling of some of the thrilling scenes that attendees experienced during this Memorial Day weekend.

With its nearly 90-year annual family pilgrimage tradition, the County Fair is dedicated to the education of the community and youth in agriculture, business and technology.

The Sacramento community enjoys the fair’s family atmosphere, traditional competitions and agricultural displays, hands-on, family activities, and carnival- and festival-style entertainment.

I’ll be honest, there is a lot going on at the fair, with many forms of entertainment going on at any given time. Several stages draw in crowds to a variety of entertainment, thus offering something for everyone.

I watched the All-Alaskan Racing Pigs twice, and I’ll tell you: The racing pigs are no slow porkers.

You will laugh at this fair spectacle, and if you have the urge or you have children, there are also opportunities to feed the ducks.

A mechanical dispenser will swallow your two quarters and dispense a handful of duck feed. Regarding duck feeding at the fair, as the sign states, “It will tickle.” I will attest to that!

Throughout the day, I smelled wafting layers of aromas…Giant, hot pretzels, huge corn dogs, french fries, curly fries, burgers, funnel cakes, pizza, deep fried Oreo cookies, and ice cream. The food aromas mixed with the smell of animal manure from the petting zoo, pony rides and live-

At the Sacramento Countycluded in the very reasonablecluded the 4x4 truck pull, Stars and Stripes Invitation Bull Riding, and the Mayhem Destruction Derby, cost fairgoers an additional fee.

Other fair attractions included horse jumping and the kids’ pedalpowered tractor pull.

One of the more crowded places was the Kids Zone, with a large chess game and a huge checkers game.

Remember the game, Operation? There was also a big Operation game, as well as a very large jigsaw puzzle.

Additionally, there was one section full of reptiles…turtles, snakes, iguanas and lizards of all shapes and sizes.

Want to hold an alligator? Yep, there was also a live alligator.

In this discussion about animals, be sure to stop by the livestock barns and talk to the 4-H and Future Farmers of America kids. They are knowledgeable and very articulate about their animals.

The kids are learning skills and having fun raising and showing them. I petted several sheep and goats, and even smelled the pigs!

One of the very fun attractions is the hypnotist. Her name is Tina Marie, and she hails from Las Vegas.

I spoke to her before the 4:30 p.m. show, and after my short conversation with her, I felt more selfconfident, had a better memory, was more relaxed, lost weight, and quit smoking. Oh, she is good!

Be sure to see the hypnotist, Tina Marie. You will wonder and laugh.

Next year, start your tradition of attending the Sacramento County Fair. It is not very expensive, and it’s smaller than the California State Fair, which is also held annually at Cal Expo. Also, it’s cooler in May than July.

There are midway rides and games, food and entertainment, lots of food and many entertainment options.

You will have fun with the whole family. And remember, the spelling of family fun… SACRAMENTO COUNTY FAIR.