What you don’t want to miss this summer, the San Mateo County Fair!
If you’ve never seen a baby pig race, maybe it’s time to visit the San Mateo County Fair, running June 9-17. The cute, chubby creatures are one of the biggest attractions every year as they compete on a racetrack, cheered on by an enthusiastic crowd waving speedway flags and coaxing their chosen porker to victory and a prize of Oreo cookies at the end. The educational show includes audience participation, pig trivia and fun prizes for winning cheerleaders. The fair also offers a chance to indulge in the usual fair taste treats — corn dogs, funnel cakes, ice cream and lemonade — and experience live entertainment from artists such as Sheila E, TLC, Sugar Ray and John Michael Montgomery, plus the Chinese Acrobats of Hebei, and entertainers Gossamer Magic and Capt’n Jack Spareribs, a juggler, magician and ventriloquist. But let’s face it, at the top of the “must-do” list just might be something cute and cuddly, or perhaps, big and hairy. The county fair is a great place to get up close and personal with animals, butterflies, and even a reptile or two. “When we ask people their favorite thing at the fair, the most popular answer we receive is the animals,” says Pennie Rorex, spokesperson for the San Mateo County Fair. “Some people love to go to the 4-H and Future Farmers of America (FFA) barn to see animals, and others love the petting zoo because they can get up close and touch the animals.” Opportunities to experience animals abound, and all these attractions are included with the price of admission: • Great American Petting Zoo: has over 40 different animals, including miniature goats, donkeys, deer, potbellied pigs and llamas. • San Mateo County Fair Farm: Animals raised on local San Mateo County farms entered into the fair for ribbons and prizes by 4-H and FFA, including rabbits, turkeys, chickens, pigs and goats. • Pig racing: Come cheer for your favorite, as a group of baby pigs race on an oval track for the prize of Oreo cookies at the end. • Brazilian Rainforest: A 5,000-square-foot area is transformed into a tropical adventure by Pacific Animal Productions, educating and engaging audiences in a safe environment to see, touch and learn about monkeys, foxes, parrots, hedgehogs, alligators, snakes and bugs. • Butterfly Adventures: As many as 500 butterflies fly around in this attraction, and kids can feed the colorful creatures with a nectar-dipped stick, inviting them to land on their arms. Visitors can enjoy concerts, activities and shows for just the price of admission (see box for more details). Discounts are offered for tickets purchased by midnight on June 8. Children 5 and under are always free, as are military people with ID. Kids Day is Monday, June 11, and all kids 12 and under are free until 3 p.m. Paid attractions include the Happy Day Pony Rides, a longtime favorite that offers equine education plus opportunities for kids to have their picture taken with a pony, and a carnival midway that includes a Ferris wheel, roller coasters and the Freak Out, a breathtaking ride that flies passengers 40 feet in the air. A new midway attraction this year is also an old favorite for kids and adults of all ages: bumper cars.