Modified Porterville Fair being held amid heat wave

PORTERVILLE, Calif. (KFSN) -- The past few years haven't been kind to the Porterville Fair.

Half of the 2019 fair was canceled due to severe weather. The 2020 and 2021 events were called off because of the pandemic.

But about a month ago, organizers got the green light to hold a modified fair July 8th through the 11th, called Ride and Dine.

"We have a full carnival, full midway and full kiddie land with their specialty fair foods they have within the midway," says Porterville Fair Manager Susie Godfrey. "We also have what we call the dine part -- we brought in additional food to supplement and to spread out the options so that people have different options all the way down."

Ride and Dine is completely outside, meaning vendors, volunteers, and fairgoers will have to find ways to cope with this weekend's harsh heatwave.

No need to worry about animals, though. The livestock part of the fair ran over several days in May.

Godfrey says guests can find some relief in the dining area.

"We've installed misters in that building, we've installed shade cloth in the building, we have nine portacools in there," she said.

Godfrey knows some will decide to beat the heat by staying inside over the next several days.

But she still expects good crowds.

At $5 for admission and $5 for parking, it's cheap fun.

After a hiatus, she knows many are ready to feel that classic fair experience again.

"It's just part of the community, it's part of the atmosphere, part of who we are here, and they just want to get back together and come on out," Godfrey said.