The fair used to be a great family outing.  Take the kids, ride some rides, eat a corn dog, some corn on the cob, some cotton candy, listen to some good music, have a great day.  Now, if you want to take the family to the fair, you have to mortgage the house!  I realize that Kern County has done it's part to keep the cost down, but if the kids want to ride the rides, forget about it!  Even on the family discount days, the wristbands are too overpriced for families with more than two kids.  But there's still the exhibits.  I love all the art, the needle work, the photography, the ceramics, the livestock.  It's just hard to keep the kids interested in these things.

Enter through the main gates with the Longhorn greeting.
Turn left and go through first exhibit building.  Get lots of useless stuff.  
Exit that building and go through the fine arts building.  Decide that my handmade  stuff is better and next year I will enter and prove it.
 Exit fine arts building  through the garden competition area.
Head towards the food consessions.
Eat 3000 calories worth of corn, potatoes, BBQ and drink a beer to wash it down.  
Wander around the south exhibit building and buy several cinnamon rolls and get more useless stuff.  Exit  to the south and look for the photographs and cities  competition building.  Do that building.
Debate with rest of family about  looking at the animals.  Decide to sit down and wait for younger family members while they check out the baby animals.
Breathe in the sights and sounds of approaching fall.  
Loving it.

Hummmm.... food - corn on the cob, baked potato. Maybe a caramel apple. Beer. Plenty of food and beer. Don't forget the curly fries stack. Hummm. Maybe time for another beer. Exhibits, exhibits, exhibits. Should I have some taffy? Then, the hypnotist (yes, I see him every year, but it's still fun). Sit at the corner where the vet's beer/food booth is and watch the people (now that's what I call FUN!). Lastly,  Anonymous, I might be smoking my cigarette while people watching. Sorry!

Not to take anything away from anyone but after going to the Kern County Fair for over 30 years, I'm pretty much bored with it.  The reason?  Well, nothing has really changed except the price of everything.  Every year, it costs a little more to park your vehicle and a little more to go in through the gate and a little more to purchase something to eat or drink.  Everything else is pretty much the same.  Same type of food, same booths, same type of carnival, same type of mineral and plant exhibitions, same type of Rodeo and same type of dust in the air.

I remember K.C. Fairs when there was great entertainment and it was worth paying the the price.......whether they were popular Country and Western musicians, popular Latino musical groups and stars or  Super (big foot) Trucks exhibitions.  Why limit the super stars to the Rabobank Arena?  Bring them to the Kern County Fair also like you used to.  Make the fair more interesting to everyone.   I've been to other fairs in the state (Santa Clara County Fair, San Luis Obispo County Fair, Fresno County Fair) and I've found them very enjoyable due to the exhibits and the entertainment.

Not to worry, after all this, I'll still go to the fair this year to find an exhibit booth with something I haven't seen before.  I don't want to break tradition.