Farm Beat: San Joaquin County Fair lives again in new form

The San Joaquin County Fair returns next week after a two-year break forced by money troubles, but part of it never really left.

The Stockton fairgrounds has been the site since 2014 of San Joaquin AgFest, where 4-H and National FFA Organization members exhibit livestock and other projects in lieu of a full-fledged county fair.

AgFest has no carnival rides or rock concerts or hypnotists – things that might draw non-farm folks to a fair. It does provide young people a chance to show their skills in animal care, ag mechanics, vegetable growing, flower arranging and other fields.

AgFest remains a separate event, but it will share the grounds with the revived fair on four of the seven total days of activity from Monday through June 19. The fair’s five-day run is half of what it was a decade ago, but it nonetheless will give new life to a tradition dating to 1860.

AgFest will run from Monday through June 18. It will feature judging, auctions and a Farm to Fork dinner that raises money for the event.

Adult leaders in 4-H and FFA created AgFest with help from the fair management and the San Joaquin County Office of Education.

“When we were unable to support putting on a fair, a group of really great parents came together,” said Kelly Olds, the fair’s chief executive officer.

AgFest has provided state-recognized competitions for about 900 young people each year, said Jeff Wagner, president of the event’s board.

The county fair has struggled for several years with declining attendance and high costs. This year, it gave up on the horse racing that was long a mainstay on the grounds.

The slimmed-down fair will feature carnival rides, a tractor pull, sprint car racing, pro wrestlers, racing pigs, performing monkeys, a hypnotist and more. The main music stage will have country artist Jackson Michelson and acts paying tribute to Willie Nelson, Journey and Foreigner.

And fair food, of course. Fried candy, anyone?

Olds said advance ticket sales suggest that the fair will top its goal of about 70,000 patrons over the five days, about half of the attendance for the previous 10-day version. And these people are welcome to walk over to the livestock area and see what the 4-H and FFA members are up to.

The dual events come about a month before the Stanislaus County Fair, which is doing much better financially. It drew about 249,000 people over 10 days last year.

This story was originally published June 10, 2016 at 3:31 PM with the headline "Farm Beat: San Joaquin County Fair lives again in new form."