The aroma of kettle corn and cinnamon rolls fills the air. Music booms and children scream with excitement as the carnival rides toss them around in their seats. Families, red-faced from laughing, talk with those around them while enjoying steaming hot dogs.
Open from Sept. 9-12, these descriptions represent the experience of the annual Madera Fair.
With many booths and activities to offer, the Madera Fair attracted a wide range of attendees, including children, local residents, teens, bikers, cowboys and country music fans.
Old-fashioned rides served to entertain kids and teens, while carnival games tempted fair-goers with throwing darts at balloons and tossing golfballs into plastic cups for prizes.
Food booths such as The Candy Shop offered generous helpings of traditional fair food — funnel cakes, corn dogs, massive and gooey cinnamon rolls, kettle corn, tacos, cotton candy and caramel apples.
In addition to the regular venues of food and carnival games, a boutique called Maddy ‘N’ Me displayed crates of colorful hair bows for young girls to purchase. Naming the boutique after her daughter, the owner, Deana, has made it her full-time job to create these sequined and glittered bows.
“I was a high school teacher, but when my daughter was born, I took time off of work and started making bows,” Deana said. “It was a hobby and is now a full-time job.”
Since the fair attracts many patrons, policeman Mike Gonzalez was one of the men who patrolled the large fair, preventing any violence, disturbances and gang activity.
“The most common problems we have are gangs and violence,” Gonzalez said. “If that happens, we escort them from the fair. Or, if it gets too out of hand, then we can taser them — but that’s only in the worst-case scenario.”
For its final night, the Madera Fair featured rock band Creedence Clearwater Revisited. Fans such as John, Bruce and Mark, all in their 60s, drove hours to hear the band rock out to famous songs like “Susie Q.”
With its many attractions ranging from kids’ rides to oldies concerts, the Madera Fair offers big excitement in a small-town atmosphere.
For more information on local fairs, read the Sept. 9 article, Caruthers Fair presents small-town attractions.
