Throngs of people disperse through the open gates with a gleam of anticipation. Wide-eyed, excited children and their stressed adults make up the annual crowd at the yearly local fairs.

But more often than not, the anxiety of everyday life is forgotten as the aroma of sweets, corncobs, tacos and the smells from the barns draw thousands to Fresno?s Big Fair from Oct. 5?16.

?The rides at the fair are the most fun,? Kara Linkowski, ?08, said. ?There is no where else in Fresno that has rollercoaster. With all the exhibits and concerts at the fair, it is nice to have something different to do in the fall.?

While the Big Fresno Fair has much the same activities, shows, food court and arts/crafts exhibits each year, it remains a draw for thousands of people every year. The fair also has bands performing to draw a variety of spectators.

?My favorite part of the fair is the food but this year the band Third Day is performing on Oct. 12 and I am looking forward to it,? Joshua Palmer, ?08, said. ?While the food smells and tastes great the bands are what get me to the fair.?

In contrast to the upbeat bands, students often find the animals to also be an amusing exhibit.

?There are many different attractions at the fair,? Meghan Joy, ?07, said. ?One of my favorite things to do is look at the chickens because I think they are so funny.?

While some enjoy viewing animals from the sidelines, others enjoy participating in the 4-H club livestock competition.

?Bringing my cows to the fair is really fun,? Nichole Bos, ?07, said. ?Unfortunately doing 4-H requires getting up very early in the morning and getting the cows ready for the show, but I still love doing it.?

While some prefer food, rides or animals at the fair, six campus students entered the art festival chalk drawing contest on Oct. 11 as part of their experience.

“It was an intense five hours of drawing,” Sharon Scharf, art teacher, said. “We were supplied with t-shirts, cowboy hats, chalk and lots of cold water.”

The chalk drawing was located along the walk from the Butler Ave. entrance past the grandstands.

?This year I decided to enter the fair to give students an opportunity to represent our school, ? Scharf said. ?The students have been practicing their chalk artwork and I think did very well. We are wiser from the experience and will be ready for next year, including taking knee pads.?

In view of the San Joaquin Valley being a big agricultural region, this year?s contest theme revolved around the harvest.

?I drew a picture of grapes for the harvest theme at the competition,? Julia Schnur, ?06, said. ?It was an enjoyable experience because I have never even been to a fair in the United States because I am a foreign exchange student this year.?

Senior Corinne Pogue drew a cart holding pumpkins, a variety of squash and flowers in an old wooden wagon for her entry. Pogue received an honorable mention out of about 125 entries from 36 schools.

?The best part of the chalk competition was trying something I thought was weird and different,? Pogue said. ?I chose to draw a cart with harvest foods and d