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State Fair Memories
Memories are made at the California State Fair. This year's big event begins on August 15th and ends on September 5th. The Sacramento Bee would like to celebrate the launch of the State Fair with your memories...but only if they get enough of them. If The Bee hears from enough of you, they will run a special story on the cover of the Style section on the opening day of the Fair. Do you look forward to the rides? How about the food? What do your kids look forward to? Or what did you enjoy as a kid? Post your memories here so other moms can enjoy them and if you would like to contribute to the story, email scene@sacbee.com and include your name, age, phone number and city of residence. Oh, and one lucky mama will randomly be selected to receive a special California State Fair prize pack including four admission passes. Must be posted by August 11, 2008. 21 comments from 20 users
posted by
ktja
on Jul 30, 2008 at 11:37 PM
Last year my son was three when we went to the State Fair. He was finally old enough and coordinated enough to play some of the games. We stopped at the game where you throw the dart at the balloon and if it pops you win something. The darts are extremely dull and the balloons are just waiting to pop. Basically, some will pop if you just look at them long enough. Nonetheless, my son took aim, threw the dart and lo and behold the balloon popped. He was so excited and proud of himself. He won this cheap looking yellow duck, but to him, at that moment, it was the coolest thing in the world. He slept with the duck for several weeks. Now, however, he no longer thinks it's the coolest thing in the world. Infact, it's completely off his radar, but I can't quite bring myself to throw it away. I smile everytime I look at it because it reminds me of how proud he was.
posted by
RnFlady
on Jul 31, 2008 at 02:25 PM
I went to the State Fair when it was on Stockton Blvd and looked forward to it every year. The first thing, though, that came to my mind was the Merlino's Orange that sat across the street from the entrance. I still love those freezes and to have one 'meant' that I was at the Fair. I also loved the rides, the food and Pink Popcorn - along with the fireworks. We used to sit in a little park on 48th and M street with our neighbors and watch them. Now, I have two kids, ages 3 and 7, and we have taken them every year. My husband and I still enjoy Pink Popcorn and now our son asks for it - I'm sure our daughter is not far behind. It is fun to think about what is fun about the Fair but I must admit, I still miss the Fair on Stockton Blvd. Neverthless, we will be there this year and can't wait for a Hot Dog on a Stick, Lemonade and Pink Popcorn. thanks for asking, Johanna posted by
wifemotherdaughtersister
on Aug 1, 2008 at 07:15 AM
growing up in minnesota, the state fair was a HUGE deal for everyone! the farm kids made the yearly trek into the city, and the city kids got to see real live farm animals. almost every one i knew was in either f.f.a. or 4-h, and the the best of the best got to be entered into the state fair. there was a lot of buzz about the fair every summer.as a fair patron, the thing that is the most vivid in my mind is my mothers love for all the weird products that the fair sells. the ginsu knife, the rubber mop, the head massager, the light up medical id bracelets. she was a sucker for all of them. we barely had any extra money, but every august it was like christmas for my mom. she found all the weird things that she wanted, and my dad would happily buy them for her and help her carry them around the grounds, stopping by our local 4-h chapter to say hi to everyone. posted by
hmoeckli
on Aug 3, 2008 at 05:55 PM
I have two favorite California State Fair memories:1) At age 11, I was the corn-husking champion. I husked 20 cobs in less than 2 minutes. I was a dynamo. And all the silk was clean off. Hey, farmers are my people, so I should be good at this. 2) A couple years later, my family and I were walking by a booth that had a HUGE pile of dry ice. I thought it was pretty cool, but I thought it was even cooler when my dad played a trick on the poor Alhambra Water people. They had a booth right next to the dry ice, and my dad plopped a piece in his cup of water, which of course "boiled" all over the place. Then, he said, "Eww, what's wrong with my water?!?" People actually dumped out the water. Hey, that's what they get for not understanding how dry ice works. posted by
cristoforisdream
on Aug 4, 2008 at 04:25 PM
My favorite memory of going to the state fair is, of course, the animals. I am a suburb girl but love animals of all types, so when I was young, getting to pet all the animals was very exciting.
posted by
shortysears
on Aug 4, 2008 at 11:01 PM
My favorite memory of the state fair was......the Ferris Wheel ride in 1998. August 29, 1998 to be exact. My husband now of 7 years took me to the California State Fair on our 1st date (after dinner on the river at Chevys) we rode the Ferris Wheel and got stuck at the top....although I was scared to death to be that high up, the skyline of downtown Sacramento was amazing on a warm August night...but the first kiss was a kiss of a lifetime and the best memory of all! I never will forget the state fair and we go every year as a tradition! To ride the Ferris Wheel and get a corn dog! Now we take our little ones as we start a family tradition!
posted by
jujubz1
on Aug 5, 2008 at 10:22 AM
my memory of the state fair was taking my 1st born son probaby 16 years ago now. the fair had just switch over to a new computerized ticket taking system. we tried very hard to get there first thing in the morning on opening day before it got too hot and too crowded. we accomplished that but when we got to the gate, the computer system was down and we had to wait a couple of hours at the gate for them to fix it. suffice to say, he was only 3 months old and not a happy camper. the sacbee had a reporter and photographer there because it was opening day and this new system was a big deal at the time. i remember James was craying in his stroller and kicking his litlle feet and the photographer took his picture and it appeared on the front page of the Bee the next day with a headline that said "LET ME IN !". i saved that paper and have framed it and it hangs in my bedroom. of course, they did finally fix the system and we go in and had a great family day together. there have been 2 more sons since then and we go to the fair every year because it's tradition now and we all enjoy it so much. But James picture on the front page of the newspaper is something i will never forget and treasure always.
posted by
mrstree
on Aug 5, 2008 at 10:41 AM
going to the state fair when my grandma was out here to visit is my most fond memory. she was 86 at the time but she acted like a kid. we rode rides and ate fair food...corn dogs and cotton candy..the works. that was a great time. my grandma passed away 8 months later unexpectedly. that was a sad thing as you can imagine but my fair memory of her last visit to california is a treasure.
posted by
chickabeegrrl
on Aug 5, 2008 at 12:01 PM
I have a real love for the CA state fair. When I was younger my parents took us every year. It was the best family activity. And now that I have my own family, we go every year. My daughter asks for the fair all year long and gets so excited when she sees the rides going up as we drive by on the highway. My daughter and I share a love for rides, although she can definitely stomach more than I can. Our favotire one to go one together is the tilt a whirl. It has always been my number favorite and now I think it might be hers too. The best part about the fair is the enormous number of exhibits and vendors. There is a particular caramel apple vendor that we make a point to visit. They have the absilute best caramle apples in the world! This year I'm coming prepared with an ice chest to pack some apples to take home. One of our yearly traditions is to go a grown ups night out where our friends can come with us during an evening to watch a concert and hang out like we used to when we were younger. posted by
laer
on Aug 5, 2008 at 02:38 PM
The horse races - seeing mules race for the first time - betting and winning on a long shot.
posted by
CAnderson
on Aug 5, 2008 at 07:47 PM
Hi, I'm Cathie Andeson, the features editor at The Bee. There are some delightful comments here. I would like to include some of them in a package of State Fair memories. If you would like your comment included, send me your full name, phone and city of residence? You can e-mail me at canderson@sacbee.com or call 321-1193.
posted by
jjumju
on Aug 5, 2008 at 09:13 PM
My childhood memories of the state fair include gathering bags of freebies from the commercial buildings. I loved collecting the buttons and the bumper stickers. We would watch amazing acrobats from China, buy lemon freezes, and eat by the paddle boats. At the end of our day we would always ride the monorail to get one last look at the State Fair from above. And my personal favorite was to eat a corn dog before going home. posted by
npuns
on Aug 6, 2008 at 02:09 PM
I absolutely love the state fair and have turned it into a family tradition for the last 7 years since my oldest was born. Every year we make it a point to take a picture in front of or on top of the bears, get Squeeze lemonade (it's the best), kettle corn, try out all the new food and take photo booths pictures. I love that the fair provides so many activities for the little ones (and most of them are free). I think this year my daughter who is now 2 will enjoy the whole fair experience and I can't wait. My 3 children have been asking for the last 3 months when the fair is coming. I've my poppy pack ready and we'll be visiting the fair at least twice this year. One of my favorite state fair memories is going to the fair with my best friend before my senior year of high school. He took me there to get my mind off of my boyfriend (now husband) when he left to go to college out of state. That was 11 years ago and I still remember it. I have pictures from the year after when I went back with my boyfriend during summer break. What wonderful memories. And I hope my children will remember their trips to the California State Fair. posted by
nratcliff
on Aug 7, 2008 at 01:44 PM
I love the state fair. Where else can you find fried artichoke, with fried banana with the biggest fried corn dogs on a stick you have ever seen??? It's also the place to pick up those crazy type things that you never see anywhere else. For instance, last year's purchase was a sign that hangs in my kitchen. It has a mouse trap glued to it with a red botton in the middle of the trap with a saying - "push button to reach complaint department" - it's what I point to when my teenage stepdaughter won't take no for an answer. She just rolls her eyes and walks away. :) Just a few years ago I won one of those 20-pound huge Nemo looking fish and we touted that thing around all day - well at least my husband did. What we weren't thinking about was how we would get this massive stuffed fish in our small two door Honda. We must have looked pretty darn silly going down I-80 with this enormous stuffed fish tied to our roof... we got many waves and laughs going down the freeway... that was until the Highway Patrol pulled us over and indicated we should get off the freeway and take the back roads. Can't wait to go this year. posted by
demontineyl
on Aug 7, 2008 at 03:19 PM
My son was in Montana visiting his grandmother for the Summer. So I only had my daughter, who was only 2 last yr, she slept the entire time. Then when the night was over she woke up crying to ride rides. I felt horrible for not waking her up. She is 2.5 now so now she will be more alert and excited, and my son is home in time for the fair to begin. This year will be more memorable! =]] Be safe and enjoy an alcohol and drug free event this year. Lynnel |
