Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival starts Friday

The 70th Riverside County Fair & National Date Festival will begin a 10-day run this Friday, with free admission for part of opening day.

The fair will start at 9:30 a.m. with the traditional “blessing of the dates.” Admission will be free from 10 a.m. to noon. Veterans can also get into the fair for free, along with as many as three guests, as part of the county’s VALOR program. Proof of military service and residence in Riverside County will be required.

Riverside County Fourth District Supervisor John Benoit will help open the festival, with the Shadow Hills High School chamber singers set to sing the national anthem.

The fair pays tribute to the Coachella Valley’s date-growing industry and has a Middle Eastern theme, including the Queen Scheherazade Scholarship Pageant, camel races and date-focused cuisine.

Some of the fair’s highlights include:

Friday: The Fourth District Youth Advisory Council will coordinate the annual High School Competition, where teams from local schools compete in a series of contests starting at 5 p.m. The winning team will receive the Date Cup trophy — to be displayed at school for a year — and tickets to the fair.

Saturday: A date recipe contest is scheduled at 2 p.m., and band El Nuevo Charro de Mexico – Ezequiel Pena will perform at 7:30 in the concert pavilion.

Sunday: The Riverside County Amateur Vocal Contest will be held at noon, followed by a “cooking with dates” demonstration at 1:30 p.m. Country star Trace Adkins will perform at 7:30.

Feb. 15: The annual Presidents’ Day parade begins at 9 a.m., the Battle of the Bands starts at noon, and a monster truck and motocross exhibition will get underway at 5.

Feb. 20: KC and The Sunshine Band will perform at 7:30 p.m

Feb. 21: Superfiesta will perform at 7:30 p.m.

For more information, call (760) 863-8247 or go to www.datefest.org .