The Kern County Fair in Bakersfield, California is a yearly event that brings thousands of Kern County residents to the fairgrounds for some much needed fun. The 2007 Kern County Fair starts September 19th and ends on September 30th. The theme of the 2007 Kern County Fair is Rock Around The Clock.
Admission prices are $8 dollars for adults, $3.00 for children ages 6 to 12 years of age and FREE for children under 6 years old! Parking is an additional $5 dollars. If you plan on riding on rides at the fair, you can buy a wristband for $25 dollars that will allow you ride on however many rides you want to. To save money, you can also buy Fair tickets and wrist bands from Albertson’s up until September 18th. That way, your tickets will only cost you $6.00 for adults and $20 dollars for the wrist band.
This year the fair is opening it’s doors an hour later then it used to. Now Monday through Friday, the hours are from 4 PM to 11 PM. The hours for Saturday and Sunday are 12 PM until 11 PM. On September 21, a Friday, the fair opens at 10:30 Am and closes at the usual time of 11 PM. When you arrive, there are there parking lots you can chose from. There is one on South P Street, Union Avenue and Belle Terrace. I recommend getting there right when the fair opens if you can so you can get a good parking space. When my family goes, we DO NOT park in the parking lot that is right across the main entrance to the fair because it fills up the fastest.
My children really enjoy the children’s carnival. The rides are perfect for younger children who would be to overwhelmed to go on the big carnival. In a different area of the fair, they have a pony ride. You can pay extra and get a photo of your child on a pony Even infants can ride on a pony in a special harness with an adult walking beside them. In past years they’ve had elephant and camel rides. There has been alligator and magic shows plus much, much more. You definitely won’t be bored at the Kern County Fair.
The Kern County Fair has plenty of entertainment for adults. There are 4 concert areas: Grandstand, Budweiser Pavilion, La Villa Festiva and 3Way Cheverlot Stage. Some of the concerts are free with your paid admission but other concerts are not free and you’ll need to purchase a ticket to whatever show is playing before you go to the fair.
Other fair favorites are the exhibits and the livestock area. Awards are given in the livestock area and fairgoers are allowed to walk in each animal section. They have pigs, horses, cows, chickens, lambs, plus many more animals. Some of the owners may even allow you to gently pet their animal. The exhibits are always interesting to look at because they feature people’s personal collections of almost anything that you could image.
The fair has special days such as Senior Days, School Days and Special Friends Days. Senior Days are only open for Senior Citizens on September 21st. It starts at 9 am. On September 25th & 26th, School Days open at 9 am. Admission is free for kids in preschool to 6th grade. Special Friends Day is on September 27th, opens at 9 am and the Kiddie Carnival opens at 10 am.
When we go to the fair, I always put hats and sunscreen on my entire family. When going to the fair, it’s mostly all outdoors and hot so you want to protect yourself the best that you can. Make sure you drink plenty of water and rest often. There are many concession stands that sell drinks and food to refresh yourself, although food and drinks are always more expensive at the fair. The fairgrounds are huge and tons of people are there so make sure that your kids know what to do if they get separated from you.
Make sure you take a camera (or two!) because there will be tons of photo opportunities. You never know what will happenat the fabulous Kern County Fair! For more information, call 661-833-4900
