Stanislaus County Fair opens Friday. Here’s how it’s different this year as COVID wanes
The Stanislaus County Fair will open Friday morning to a public eager for fun as the pandemic wanes.
No carnival rides or concerts are on the schedule, stretching over the next three weekends in Turlock. But the arena will roar with motor sports, and food booths will serve up VFW burgers and other favorites.
Out in the livestock area Wednesday, 4-H and FFA members were already preparing for dairy cattle judging and auctions. These were online last year because of COVID-19.
“You don’t get the (usual) attractions, but you get to have the kids experience the fair with their projects,” said Sarah Barcellos of Newman. Her daughter Marlayna and son Raylen both have 4-H cattle entries.
This year, the public can enter the fairgrounds without the usual parking and gate fees. They then can pay for the food, for the motor sports events, and for the crafts and other items at the new Pop-up Palooza.
The fair will open at 10 a.m. on July 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24 and 25. It will close at 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 7 p.m. on Sundays.
The morning hours are unusual for the fair but will help with patrons who want to avoid hot afternoons. No buildings will be open, but the site has plenty of shade trees.
2020 was mostly lost
COVID-19 canceled the 2020 fair, except for the virtual livestock events and drive-thru food sales.
The 2021 fair is limited because of the uncertainty in recent months over what would be allowed under the pandemic rules. The management also had to contend with a big hole in its budget.
In normal times, the fair runs for 10 straight days in mid-July. The 2019 version drew about 260,000 people, just shy of the record 261,000 in 1989.
The fair dates to the first Turlock Melon Carnival in 1911. Last year was the first cancellation since World War II.
VFW stands ready to serve
Nine booths will set up in the dining area, called Fair Food Bites. Perhaps most beloved is the hamburger stand staffed for 60-plus years by Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary 5059.
The stand got a major renovation for the 2019 fair but was limited to the drive-thru sales in 2020.
“At least this year, they can sit down and eat and walk around and see the animals,” said Shonda Edgin, the auxiliary treasurer. She, too, was on the grounds Wednesday.
Other booths will sell deep-fried vegetables, corn on the cob, baked potatoes, loaded pretzels, corn dogs and curly fries. Your dessert choices include cinnamon rolls and funnel cakes.
Craft booths, destruction derbies
The fair will have a Pop-Up Palooza in lieu of the commercial booths that usually crowd the grounds. They will offer antiques, crafts and other items near the food area and on the usual carnival midway.
Grandma’s Treasures of Denair will host the pop-ups on some of the days. An online venue called Hey Turlock! will handle the others.
Tickets for motor sports are still available online and at the gate, fair CEO Matt Cranford said by email Wednesday. They will start with truck and tractor pulls July 9 and 10 and move on to destruction derbies and more.
The arena events, Cranford promised, “will be full of fun as everyone, including the drivers and racers, are excited about getting back out and doing what they love!”
The fair is at 900 North Broadway in Turlock. More information is at www.stancofair.com or 209-668-1333.
This story was originally published July 8, 2021 at 10:41 AM.
