Why You Should Visit Caruthers Fair in California

Free. Not much is truly free today. The Caruthers Fair, held at the end of September every year since 1923, is the largest free gate fair in California. This means no entry fee. Of course if you want to ride rides or eat the food (more about that later) you will be spending money, just not on admission.

Caruthers is a small town south west of Fresno, CA. The fair runs for 4 days every September (2006 fair is Sept 27-30) and gathers large crowds every year, but you can still move around easily. Here you will find carnival rides - the best value if you love rides is the pre sale wristband (although the website refers this year to a Super ticket, so it might be a change this year) otherwise individual rides add up to a lot of money if you or the kids like rides. The Future Farmers of America (FFA), 4-H and others have animals in an area to walk around, get up close and then watch the livestock being showcased.

Saturday is the final day of the event, beginning with a morning parade. Local school bands perform and compete and local merchants and organizations have floats and other entries to watch. Definitely small town, sometimes pretty hokey but a good way to lead into the fair day. It's wonderful to see the community and local bands take much pride in their performances. How many places can you still go to see the local entries in art, crafts, woodworking, quilting, and horticulture (featuring many farmed items as this is a large farming area). Ribbons are given out for prizes, reminding me of my days in 4-H and competing at the old time fairs.

After the parade, meander on over to the fair and start your day of feasting. Local organizations are given food booths (all carefully inspected every day and given rules about food and fire safety) to fundraise for their organizations. You will find a wide variety of delicious food: fromthe ever popular pizza, to hamburgers and tri tip (thanks to wonderful local beef), to more exotic fair such as Danish abelskivers, teriyaki bowls, and portugese beans. Then there is the decadent, delicious, wonderful (can you spot a favorite guilty pleasure of mine?) pies from the Riverdale Assembly booth. I worked the neighboring pizza booth for a couple of years helping to raise money and HAD to have a slice of pie. Coconut creme, chocolate cream, and I think banana cream (don't hold me to that one) pies with nut infused crusts...absolutely to die for. I'm sure the berry pies at another booth are equally delicious, I just haven't gotten past these pies yet.

You're saying, but what's a fair without cotton candy, corn dogs, and candy apples...never fear, if you must they have booths for these things too.

Each year the Sons of the San Joaquin perform, three brothers who perform American Cowboy music in their rich vocals. They are an excellent local group that performs all over the world. Brother Jack Hannah has been described as one of the very best cowboy songwriters. They are true horsemen, Jack Hannah also breaks horses and ropes steers, working on area ranches. If you love old westerns, you'll love the Sons of the San Joaquin. although the Sons are a tradition now, several other groups perform each year, check out the fair website for details: www.caruthersfair.com.

I need more, you say? Ok, there are quad races Friday and Saturday evenings...$5 gets you in the gates there. Riders of quads and motorcycles from all over California come to compete in this 2 day event. Noisy and lots of fun. You will also find a Fair Queen contest, Fair Grand Marshall, nightly drawings, and a grand prize drawing...2006 is a new truck.

If you visit the area just to go to the fair, you can find hotels in towns just south and southeast of Caruthers, or north in Fresno. Stay a couple days and you can visit the local Indian Casino south of Lemoore, the Tachi Palace. You can drive an hour east and visit the Sequoias, or two hours northeast and you find yourself in beautiful Yosemite. Two hours west, and you'll find the beaches of the central coast.

Come out for a good time, old fashioned small town friendliness, and an old fashioned country fair. Whether you've never visited one or just want some memories, Caruthers little country fair is a great place to find some good old fun.