County Fair offers great deal for opening day
Like a sturdy crop from the Valley of the Heart’s Delight, the Santa Clara County Fair springs back to life Thursday, kicking off a four-day run at the fairgrounds on Tully Road. And the fair — which was the Fair during its heyday — finds itself in the unusual position of being on the upswing.
Attendance was up last year by 16 percent, and more than 40,000 people are expected to pass through the gateway arch this weekend. That number is dwarfed by other county fairs in the region — heck, it’s fewer people than attend Silicon Valley Comic-Con — but it is a welcome sign of growth for an event that many people declared dead more than a decade ago.
And the fair is looking to build on that growth by offering a great deal for its opening day: $1 admission from when the gates open at 1 p.m. Thursday until the festivities shut down for the night at 10 p.m. That’s a huge discount on the $10 general admission price for Friday, Saturday and Sunday when crowds are expected to be a little thicker. To top it off, Thursday’s entertainment features a 7:30 p.m. headline concert by the Greg Kihn Band, a Bay Area favorite that’s sure to draw some fans on its own. It’s a good opportunity for newcomers or anyone who hasn’t been to the fair in a while to check it out.
All the usual elements of the Santa Clara County Fair will be going on, including sea lion shows, duck and pig races, a hypnotist act and lots of food, including funnel cakes and footlong corn dogs that you can allow yourself just once a year. Weekend concerts include Love & Theft (Friday), the Houserockers (Saturday), Metalachi (Sunday) and Los Dinnos (Sunday), and there’s also a demolition derby for a separate ticket on Saturday.
Get the schedule and other information at www. thefair.org.
MUSICAL RETURN >> San Jose State alum Richard Pontzious returns to his alma mater Friday with 109 of his closest friends — that is to say as the conductor of the internationally celebrated Asian Youth Orchestra, which Pontzious co-founded with violinist Yehudi Menuhin. Composed of bright, young musicians from 11 countries including China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines and Vietnam, the orchestra will play at the Hammer Theatre Center in downtown San Jose at 7:30 p.m.
There will be more fantastic, young musicians at the Hammer over the weekend, too, as the Okayama City Junior Orchestra joins the San Jose Youth Symphony for a concert Sunday to celebrate the 60-year sister-city relationship between the two communities. Get more information on the concert at www.hammertheatre. com.
MOVIES IN THE PARK>> Starlight Cinemas, the San Jose Downtown Association’s outdoor summer movie series, kicks off a four-week run of family-friendly flicks on Saturday at St. James Park. “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” will open the series, followed by “Cars” on Aug. 12, “Nacho Libre” on Aug. 19 and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” on Aug. 26.
Each movie starts at dusk, with about an hour of fun and games beforehand. This week, San Jose State’s Spartan Quidditch team will demonstrate the Muggle version of Harry’s favorite sport, and the El Diferente Loncheria food truck will be parked on site, too. You can get more details at www.sjdowntown.com/starlight, and don’t forget to bring a blanket or lawn chair.