Sacramento, CA

The 2007 California State Fair starts tomorrow, August 17th and runs through Labor Day. The primary theme of the 2007 fair will be the whimsy of childhood, focusing on reminding us all about how and why it was so wonderful to see the world through the eyes of a child. To that effect, some of the new features at this year’s fair include Toytopia: World of Toys, Californian Green Dream, the Nerveless Nocks Thrill Show, Monster Shop Bump’n Breakdancers, and the Treetures. Toytopia looks like the most entertaining as it features interactive displays, costumed characters and celebrities, and of course enough toys to please every child and child at heart. California Green Dream takes a more educational approach, exhibiting new and innovative ideas to improve conseravtion efforts and environmental awareness.

There will be numerous celebrity guests at the fair this year, but the biggest name is probably Guy Fieri from the The Next Food Network Star. He will be cooking with kids on August 31st at 3:00PM on the PG&E Center Stage. Others include Susan Maxwell Skinner (the Royal Family Press Corp member for Princess Diana), Bill Farmer (the voice behind such beloved characters as Yosemite Sam, Foghorn, Bugs Bunny, Goofy, and Pluto), and world-renowned artist Gregory Kondos who is most famous for his beautiful California landscape paintings like the above shown Lily Pond. In order to keep the kids interested, there will also be a plethora of costumed “stars” including characters from Star Wars, Transformers, Superman, Spiderman, and Batman.

There are also an array of activities geared towards all of us adult children. The standard horse races will of course be going on throughout the fair. However, they will also be having a few more abnormal races as well. The 8th Annual Dachshund Derby is on August 25th. The sixty-four canine contestants will be competing for the $500.00 prize. On the Saturday prior to the race, the dogs will compete in harness racing in order to dwindle the group down to eight finalists. I personally think those dogs are kind of creepy, but it still sounds like an intriguing concept nonetheless. The horse races will also be adding a little bit more excitement to the proceedings with a contest allowing fair patrons to name a yearling standard bred racehorse. Whoever suggests the winning name will even receive five percent of the horse’s stakes earnings as a 2 and 3 year old racehorse. In addition, every person who suggests a name will be entered into a drawing to also receive five percent.

Along with all of these, there will also be the typical State Fair exhibits and attractions that keep us coming back for more year after year. Terry Strokes will be performing his famous hypnotist act. The midway will have the same exciting carnival rides for “kids” of all ages. There will be TONS of animals (including my favorites the Budweiser Clydesdales!) and agricultural exhibits everywhere you look. The concert line-up is awesome and features musicians from pretty much every genre. And, of course, the food will be as fabulous as ever with all of the corn dogs, funnel cakes, and fried twinkies you can stomach! Be sure to try out the two newest fares: the Elvis Sandwich (a deep fried peanut butter and banana sandwich) and the fresh fruits and veggies at the Certified Farmers Market. Anyway, have fun and be sure to plan your trip ahead–especially if you have to stay the night in Sacramento as many hotels will be sold out! Get one while you can…

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