After ten fun-filled days of carnival rides, rock concerts and delicious deep-fried treats, the Stanislaus County Fair came to an end last Sunday.
But before the fairground's gates closed for the final time, the 102nd Stanislaus County Fair drew in nearly 229,000 guests during its ten-day run – a 5 percent increase from last year’s fair.
“It was a great combination of entertainment, agricultural education, and just plain fun,” said Chris Borovansky, CEO of the Stanislaus County Fair. “The Fair at its core is a special event for the community.”
With new features this year such as the Wizard’s Challenge, the Farmers Market, and the toy train exhibit, the 2013 Stanislaus County Fair awed thousands of guests with all that it had to offer.
The Kids Club program, which allowed children to complete educational passports for a Family Fun Pack grand prize, had 800 sign-ups this year. Even more impressive was the Fair mobile app which saw 5,000 new downloads for 2013, bringing the total number of mobile app users to 15,075.
Another success for the 2013 Stanislaus County Fair was the number of individual exhibit entries, tallying nearly 30,000 altogether. For example, the floriculture exhibit had more than 3,700 entries, while the photography exhibits had more than 2,100.
“The exhibit program is what sets us apart from other Fairs in the state,” said Adrenna Alkhas, spokesperson for the Stanislaus County Fair. “It’s about the community joining together for this one event.”
Livestock entry numbers rose as well, bringing the total gross sale of animals sold at Fair auctions over $1.1 million.
FFA and 4-H members sold 106 heifers at the 46th Annual Replacement Heifer Sale, grossing $304,600 ($2,841 per head). Supreme Champion Tony Garcia, of Modesto, sold his heifer for $6,500. Lane Wheeler, of Turlock, was the Reserve Supreme Champion, selling his heifer for $4,100.
The 49th Annual Junior Livestock Auction grossed $606,368 for FFA and 4-H members. Four poultry pens, 43 rabbits, 103 goats, 190 sheep and 438 swine were sold at the auction. The fourth Annual Junior Livestock Market Steer Auction grossed $155,060 with 46 steer sold.
With celebrities playing like Clay Walker, “Weird” Al Yankovic, Creedence Clearwater Revisited, Huey Lewis and the News, Morris Day and the Time, as well as Gloriana and El Coyote y su Banda, huge crowds filled the stands in the Budweiser Variety Free Stage each night.
Although the Fair may be over for the 2013 season, guests can continue to learn more about the Fair and keep up with plans for next year by visiting www.stancofair.com.
