66th Annual Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival Kicks Off
One of the desert’s biggest events is now underway. The 66th annual Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival opened their gates to thousands of eager people at the Indio fairgrounds.
Community leaders and members of the festival board gathered for the opening ceremony. Fairground entertainers greeted the many people in line who waited to enter. Fair Queen Scheherazade and her court were also hand to welcome guests.
Chris Romero has been attending the festival for more than 50 years and now uses her knowledge of the fair to sell tickets. “Well, you know it’s a win-win situation,” said Romero. “The fair is nice enough to give a percentage of a saving to an organization and use it as a fundraiser, and mine is Boy Scouts of America.”
More than 300,000 people are expected to attend this year’s fair, due in large part to low prices which have not changed in a very long time. “A dollar here, and a dollar there isn’t going to make everybody rich in the county, so they just kind of kept it the way it is,” said Nick Nigosian, the chairman of the board for the festival. “We let everybody know it’s a lot cheaper than going to Disneyland or places like that.”
General admission is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors, $6 for group bus tours, $6 for youth, and no cost for children under 5 years of age.
The fair continues to grow its field of hundreds of vendors who each offer something different. There is also plenty of entertainment in the form of shows and exhibits. The fair also added two new animal exhibits like JUMP! The Ultimate Dog Show and a Sea Lion Splash.
The fair also welcomes big name musicians who will perform throughout the run of the ten-day event. Headliners include LeAnn Rimes, Banda Los Recoditos, Hot Chelle Rae and Uncle Kracker.
The other staple of the fair is the food. The festival offers something for nearly everyone: hot dogs, hamburgers, corn dogs, pizza, onion rings, and turkey legs. Other vendors offer more unique dishes like fried zucchini, fried mushrooms, friend Reese’s, fried Snicker’s, and fried Twinkies.
The fair continues daily 10 A.M. to 10 P.M., until February 26.
