In an often “feared” Downtown Fresno, a whirl of exotic sights and sounds rushed in from Oct. 2-13. With the theme of Cow’ifornia Dreamin’, The Big Fresno Fair attracted about one million people, according to the Fresno Fair website.

In 1882 ranchers and businessmen came together to purchase land and form the Fresno Fairgrounds Association and the Fair successfully debuted two years later.

Today the Big Fresno Fair is the fifth largest fair in California and has over 300 exhibits for every age group. Exhibits included home arts, sporting goods, agriculture and livestock, career paths, and several centered for the youth.

One event that drew a large crowd each day was the live horse races and animal pavilion.

“The aroma wasn’t too sweet,” John Wilborn, ’03, said, “but I think the program is important to animal fanatics.”

During the two weeks that the Fair stayed in Fresno, several bands and musicians rocked the Paul-Paul Theater. Ray Charles, Chris LeDoux and Michelle Branch are just a few of the artists who performed.

“I liked Michelle Branch,” Gina Arabia, ’03, said. “It’s kind of cool that good bands come to the Fresno Fair.”

Campus art and home economics students participated in the creative art exhibit at the fair. Seniors Sarah Damm, Austin Livingston, and Jamie Meadows showed their paintings. To read more about these award-winning paintings, go to www.thefeather.com for the “Shirt chosen as Best of Show” article by Staff writer Angela Kutnerian. Chris Vanden Hoek, also a senior, displayed his Hawaiian shirt and won the “Best of Show” award.

The fair left our town in a state of melancholic satisfaction, but the people are hoping for another year of “great fair fun.”

The night the fair left, Fresno will have to wait for another year of “great fair fun.”

For more information, go to www.fresnofair.com.

Daurissa Garcia