Tulare County Fair brings old-time charm to the Valley

Can you smell the corndogs and cotton candy? It’s officially fair season in the Central Valley!

The 99^th Annual Tulare County Fair gets underway this Wednesday, Sept. 12. If you’ve never been to this fair, located about 45 minutes south of Fresno, you’ve been missing out.

Parade kicks off the fun

The Tulare County Fair is big on small town charm. Schools are actually closed in Tulare the first day of the fair so families can visit and take part in the annual Tulare County Fair Parade.

The parade, which starts at 9 a.m., celebrates all things Tulare County. There are school marching bands, color guards, mascots, tractors, wagons, and more. It rolls through the streets of downtown Tulare and has a very “Mayberry” feel to it.

Wednesday evening, Tulare County’s inaugural High School Madness Games will take place. School teams will face off in games like Tug of War and Water Balloon Toss. There will also be a Drum Line Competition and Mascot Dance Battle. Kids 12 and under get into the fair free on Wednesday, along with parade participants ages 13-17.

Events run Wednesday through Sunday

Like any county fair, you’ll find amusement park rides, food vendors, and displays showing off the best in agriculture. Livestock and competitive exhibits where residents face off for bragging rights of baking the best apple pie in the county are highlights.

Best in Show is the top award handed out in competitive exhibits.

There’s also a lot of entertainment packed into this five-day fair, including a Tractor Pull, Monster Truck event, Demolition Derby, and live music.

Concerts included in fair admission

Nightly concerts are included with your fair admission. Sheila E. will perform Wednesday night. The R&B singer used to work with Prince.

Thursday, country music singer Clay Walker will perform. He’s had six number one songs and has sold more than 11 million albums. His most recent single is “Working on Me.”

On Friday night, folks will step back into the 70s with music from the group Con Funk Shun.

Saturday, Queen tribute band Queen Nation will perform all of the band’s classics, including “We Are the Champions,” “We Will Rock You,” and “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

The final night of the Tulare County Fair features 90s favorite Smash Mouth! The San Jose-based band will sing all the fan favorites including “Walkin’ on the Sun.”