|
 The award-winning Stanislaus County Fair:
In addition to
awarding more than 30,000 ribbons each year, the
Stanislaus County Fair IS an award-winning fair
itself.
In fact, in January 2008, the
Western Fairs Association
presented the Stanislaus County Fair with a 1st
place award for the
“Best Overall Children’s
Program”!
The fair opens
each year in July for a 10-day
run. More than 220,000 visitors will pass through
our turnstiles for award-winning fun at the largest
family-centered event in Stanislaus County. Stroll
through our tree-shaded grounds where you’ll find:
• Nightly
celebrity
concerts
included with fair admission!
•
Entertainment
on
six stages!
•
Steel
grinding, dirt-defying
motorsports!
•
More than 30
food concessionaires
dishing up everything from
mouth-watering BBQ
ribs to finger-licking cotton candy!
•
30,000
individual
competitive exhibits
of local talent!
•
Over 1,750
animals!
•
A “zone”
especially for kids!
•
More than 35
exhilarating
carnival rides!
•
And more!
GREENING THE FAIR
The Stanislaus County Fair is committed to
environmental stewardship and has implemented
recycling, reducing and reusing throughout the
Fairgrounds. Here are some highlights of the Fair’s
contribution toward a greener planet:
·
In 2008,
the Fairgrounds events generated 460,222 tons of
waste. All but one ton of waste was diverted,
including: 4.11 tons cardboard, 1.55 ton glass, .6
ton newspaper, 1.28 tons office paper, .325 ton
plastics, 4.12 ton scrap metal, 16.3 tons
xeriscaping/grasscycling, 111.3 tons self-haul green
waste, 291 tons commercial pickup of compostables,
1.4 tons wood waste and 1.4 tons rendering.
·
During
the 10-day run of the Fair, 32.91 tons of waste are
recycled.
·
305 tons
of straw, shavings and manure are delivered to local
dairies, composted and reused on farms.
·
Fair-time food concessionaires are required to sign
a contract to conserve energy by limiting operation
of decoration lights on their booths during daylight
hours.
·
Used
kitchen oil from food booth concessionaires (such as
corn dogs) is recycled. In 2008, the fair collected
1,200 pounds of oil, which was transported to Crown
Byproducts in Stockton. There, the oil is processed
and filtered and primarily converted to biodiesel
fuel.
·
The Fair
participates in the State Agency Buy Recycled
Campaign (SABRC), spending a total of $25,023 in
2008 on recycled products such as lubricating oils,
paint, paper products, plastic products, printing
and writing paper, metal products, tire-derived
products and tires.
·
The Fair
is continually converting lighting from incandescent
to LED and other energy-efficient bulbs.
·
To
prepare the Fair’s numerous flower beds for annual
planting, the ground is fertilized with composting
obtained free of charge from Turlock Scavenger.
·
The
fair’s green waste is transported by Turlock
Scavenger to Grover Landscaping where it is ground
and used in their composting operation. The
material ultimately ends up at the City of Turlock
for their Nutrilock operation.
·
70
percent of the Fair’s exhibit buildings exteriors
are painted with recycled paints.
·
All ink
cartridges from our printers are recycled.
·
eWaste
(computers, monitors, etc.) is donated to the
Goodwill’s Reconnect program for recycling
electronics.
Meet Our
Directors:
Appointed by the Governor of
the State of California, the Stanislaus County Fair
board of directors is a dedicated
group of volunteers comprised of outstanding community
leaders throughout the fair’s district.
Meet
our directors.
Our History:
In 1911 the Turlock Melon Carnival took place for the first
time, sponsored by
the Turlock Chamber of Commerce. The
Turlock Melon Carnival was an effort
to promote and market
the local melon industry and shipping business.
A group of
musicians organized to become the Melon City Band.
The Melon Carnival lasted only a few years, and in 1924 the
American
Legion Rex Ish Post 88 organized a 4th of July
celebration for largely
the same purpose. In 1925 the
American Legion resurrected the name
"Turlock Melon
Carnival" for the mid-summer festival.
The 4-H and FFA livestock shows were instituted in 1933, and
in 1935 the State of
California issued a charter that
established the 38th District Agriculture Association (DAA)
which remains today. The "fair" was run jointly by the
American Legion post and the DAA until 1944 when the
American Legion sold the site and buildings to the DAA,
which has had the sole responsibility for it's operation
ever since.
No fairs were held during World War II although the
carnivals and horse pulling events continued in the downtown
area. The fair was used as a Relocation Center for Japanese
Americans in 1942, and a Rehabilitation Center for the U.S.
Army Ninth Service Command from 1943 to 1946. The fair
resumed operation after the war and in 1956 the name
"Stanislaus County Fair" was used for the first time on the
marquee. In 1960, the fairgrounds became the original home
of California State University, Stanislaus.
From a summer weekend in 1911 to a 10-day run, the
Stanislaus County Fair has been a source of fun, entertainment and education for persons of all ages. A
record 261,089 persons attended the 1989 Fair.
On the 15th of March, 1999, the Stanislaus County Fair Board
of Directors of the 38th District Agricultural Association
with support of the Turlock American Legion resolved that
the Stanislaus County Fair Arch Gate be recognized as a
California State Point of Historical Interest. A marker was
unveiled during an opening night ceremony during the 1999
Fair and is on public view just inside the historic Arch
Gate. |
