After COVID-caused hiatus, Merced County Fair set to launch for first time in two years
The sweet scents of kettle corn and cotton candy are coming back this summer as the Merced County Fair returns next week for in-person festivities — for the first time in two years.
“It’s the kickoff to summer,” Merced County Fair CEO Teresa Burrola told the Sun-Star. “This year we’re back in full force.”
The upcoming event marks 131 years of the Merced County Fair. Burrola likened the annual event to a class reunion for the Merced community.
But a majority of the fair traditions that have brought Mercedians together for over a century were canceled the last two years on account of COVID-19 precautions.
Celebrations those last two years were largely limited to a modified livestock shows aimed at keeping some aspect of the annual tradition alive amid the pandemic, as well as supporting the efforts of 4-H and FFA students.
Aside from the loss felt from losing a long-time tradition, the COVID-19-caused shutdown of the fair also put a dent in the local economy, Burrola said. An estimated $23 million is generated annually by the fair and its 220 interim events, according to a 2015 report by the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
Starting next week, carnival rides, live music, auto racing, bull riding, livestock and other competitive exhibits are all back at the fairgrounds to once again usher in the start of summer in Merced County.
“It’s going to be an exciting atmosphere,” Burrola said.
Attending the fair: tickets, attractions and festivities
The fair runs June 8 through June 12 at 900 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. Event hours run 5:00 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Wednesday through Friday and 3:00 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.
The price of admission to enter the fair is $10 except for children age 12 an under, who can attend for free this year due to a sponsorship by Valley Children’s Healthcare.
Attendees may also donate five cans of food during the Feed Our Community drive hosted by MERCO Credit Union to receive a free opening day fair ticket. Cans can be brought to the Merced or Atwater MERCO Credit Union locations until Wednesday.
More information on carnival ride and parking prices can be found on the fair’s website. Free transit to the fair will be provided by The Bus as well.
More than 70,000 people from Merced County and elsewhere typically attend the five-day fair, according to past counts.
Indications so far show that a record-breaking number of attendees are likely to attend this year’s event, Burrola said.
Those attendees have a variety of activities to choose from. A lineup of concert shows and entertainment events are scheduled for each night of the fair.
Nightly 8:30 p.m. music performances will range from country singer Coffey Anderson to tribute band Queen Nation and more. Each concert is free with paid fair admission.
Auto racing, destruction derby, a tractor pull and bull riding will also take place each night at 7 p.m. Admission is $5 with the exception of opening day, which is free with paid fair admission. Children age 5 or younger may enter free with a paid adult ticket.
Other free entertainment with paid fair admission includes the Discovering Science exhibit and petting zoo.
Also new to this year’s fair is the Pee Wee Stampede, where kids age three to six-years-old will put on a show and participate in mock rodeo events.
The fairgrounds are located at 900 Martin Luther King Way. For more information visit www.mercedcountyfair.com
