Merced County Fair opens with new attractions and ways to beat the heat

MERCED COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Fair fun is back in Merced County.

"It's community-based," Luis Lara, Merced County Fair Board member, said. "It's family here that's what we wanna see. You'll see all your friends here."

This year's fair features sea lions, monster trucks, and more, now through Sunday.

"We have a live auction on Saturday at 9 AM, but also most of those buildings have shade, and there's a good breeze going through them," Luis said.

Fairgoers and livestock will have options to cool down as temperatures heat up, from outdoor fans to refreshments.

"We have a lot of shaded picnic tables and stuff like that," Lara explained.

You can head to indoor air-conditioned exhibits or shaded attractions like "Farm to Fair," where kids can learn how to harvest the food on their plates.

Children under 12 get into the fair free, while everyone else pays $15 at the gate. Tickets are discounted online.

Your ticket also gets you into the fair's concert series with live entertainment every night.

"Friday night, we have Tag Team and Color Me Bad, that's gonna be a big one. Back in the day, everyone remembers those," Lara stated.

The grandstand admission is $10; it's prepped for monster trucks on Wednesday and Thursday, but on Friday and Saturday, it will have the fair's first PRCA rodeo.

"You're going to look at these grandstands and you've never seen anything like it before because it's entertainment from 7 to 9:30," said Liz Reyes Johnston, Merced Western Heritage Foundation vice president. "It'll keep the kids moving."

Organizers are excited to add the rodeo to the fair's family fun.

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