The State Fair in Sacramento began on July 14th and will run through the 30th. As lovers of any fair we can find, we were excited to go despite the forecast of 107 degrees. Armed with small towels and washcloths and many bottles of water to soak them down with and to drink, we arrived at opening time, 10 AM, and we stayed until 10 PM! There was so much to see.
First up the animal barns. The day we went was devoted to lambs, goats and cows. The lambs had a new look that we had not seen before. Their legs were sheered to leave a fashionable puff just above the hoof. If was a bit poodle-like and very fetching. The goats and cows looked shiny clean and curry combed but no new looks. We saw big banners that said, “No Farms, No Food” — point taken. Felt sorry for the 4-H kids whose uniforms include long sleeved white shirts that they wear no matter the temperature. They looked really, really hot.
Next we visited a large outdoor area labeled “The Farm” with demonstration gardens and special exhibits that included one outdoor hall with many mounted insects. They were fascinating to see up close. The butterflies and moths were stunning. The display boxes read, “Please do not tap on glass” so we didn’t.
I was looking for the Floriculture area as my special interest is flower arranging. Sad to say what used to be the hall of flowers had been converted into a major wine display area. The Boonville Fair is only three days so the arrangements can just about last that long. I guess this fair is too long to invite arrangement entries. I do remember that the Los Angeles County Fair had a big Floral Building with lots of water features that was always a joy to visit. Sacramento needs a floral building.
There were two halls devoted to the Arts. These mostly contained paintings, drawings, photographs and sculptures with a scattering of home arts and crafts sprinkled in. I did see many, many pieces that inspired me. The quality of the work was very high. The things I saw there alone were enough to make the visit to the fair worthwhile. Close by was a large hall featuring many permutations of dragons. Giant dragons made of foam, historical references to dragons throughout history, dragon toys and games — lots of hands-on stuff for the kids to experience. It was very well done.
Nearby was another large exhibition hall featuring Cannabis. There was a timeline of the history of Cannabis, actual plants, and a bar where you could order drinks with non-psychoactive cannabinoid terpenes, and growers who would talk to you about cannabis. It was quite the deal. Mendocino County was represented with literature extolling Mendocino Magic. The cannabis industry has come a long way baby.
There was another exhibit hall filled with electronica and teenagers.
The Fair recognizes the need to cool down and does the best they can. There were gigantic evaporative coolers in cool down areas; they had misters going in many areas (but it was so hot most of it evaporated before it actually got low enough to hit your skin). There were giant white tarps pulled tight everywhere to shade eating and shopping and performing areas. The halls were nicely air-cooled. Nevertheless you had to walk on those asphalt walkways to get anywhere and without our soaked towels we would have been in trouble. Attendance was low which was bad for the Fair but good for us as there were virtually no lines anywhere.
They booked big name acts, which anyone can listen to for the price of admission. If you want to get a seat you have to pay extra but there are grassy knolls all around that are free to sit on. We saw Ashley McBryde, a country singer, and the audience liked her. We listened for a while then wandered on stumbling into a blues singer named Zola Moon performing in the beer garden with her band. She really had it going on so we sat and listened with cold beers. It was pretty great.
About 5:30 we had taken just about all the heat we could handle without melting down so we headed to the California Building. Many picturesque California specialties were represented on the main floor. Wine tasting, almond butter tasting (yum), cinnamon buns etc. Upstairs there were vendors with everything from Tarot readings, to mattresses to wind chimes for sale. Two young men wandering the California Building were dressed as life-sized “transformers” — the kind kids play with that change from one character to another usually from a machine to a creature of some kind. These guys were the most unusual things I saw at the fair. They actually had powerful little motorized wheels attached to their bodies and they were able to fold themselves up acrobatically and go from walking upright to driving around with wheels attached to their knees on all fours like speedy low-slung cars. Then they stood up looking like lizard men to have their pictures taken with members of the crowd. You had to be there… It was amazing.
Also in the California Building was a live cooking contest between three sets of cooks, two per team. We sat and watched their challenge. Everyone got the same ingredients and they had to create an appetizer, a main dish and a desert in 50 minutes. The MC was an old produce man who was filled with interesting veggie facts. For example, did you know that there are male and female eggplants and that the females absorb much more oil when you cook them? Apparently French cookbooks specify males, which can be identified by the way the stem is attached. If you pull off the stem and it leaves a dot shaped scar it is a male, the scar on the female is dash shaped. Who knew?
At the end of the evening we boarded the monorail to get a ride around the whole fairgrounds. The ride areas were glowing with fantastic neon displays. We rode right by the levees surrounding the Sacramento River. A coolish breeze ruffled our hair; it was nice. Last up, a stop at the old-fashioned photo booth to get our corny portrait taken. Then it was over for us and back to Yorkville until next year.
Nice article. But the river behind Ca Expo is the American, not the Sacramento.