A fine time for a fair

Justin Aquino, fair operations manager, said event center staff have been working around the clock to bring exhibits like a 5,000-square-foot rain forest full of birds, reptiles and a 9.5-foot Burmese python named “George of the Jungle” to life in time for the 11 a.m. opening of the fair gates to the public Saturday.

“We are in the construction zone right now,” he said. “And we are building the fun currently.”

Among the fair’s feats of engineering is a 90-foot tower dubbed the Super Shot Drop Tower built to take 12 passengers some eight stories high before releasing them in an accelerated free fall. Hailing from Heibei, China, members of an acrobatic squad are also set to bring the eye skyward as they execute flips, jumps and spinning of household items like vases and tables on their feet.

Competing in four races a day, the Hampshire pigs racing for the finish at the fair’s Great American Pig Races may provide inspiration of a different sort. Clad in bandanas in different colors, they are competing against each other to reach a bowl of animal crackers placed just past the finish line.

For those who want to see how they stack up against their friends, the dozens of games tucked in the fair’s carnival offers ample opportunity for friendly competition. From the fair’s new addition of bumper cars to games as seemingly simple as balloon darts, different strategies need to be employed if players want to impress their friends, said Ashley Cadena, who will be working at fair games in the coming days.

Cadena said she’s seen many become frustrated by the “Tubs of Fun” game, which requires those aiming for a prize to land large whiffle balls into one of three large buckets.

“The trick to this one is to go softer and more to the side,” she said.

The event center’s 105,000-square-foot Expo Hall may offer some respite for those looking to get out of the sun as well as any curious about the work county artists, writers, bakers, gardeners and those with many other talents are producing. Though she has been volunteering at the fair’s fine arts exhibit in recent years, artist Peggy Howse said she first started coming to the fair to enter her glass art in its exhibits.

She said volunteers have been at the fair grounds for days carefully setting up artwork including everything from large oil paintings to intricate sculptures so they can judged and viewed by fair goers in the coming days.

“Today we’re just tweaking and cleaning,” she said. “The day after Father’s Day it will all be gone.”

Also a volunteer this year, photographer Peche Turner said one of her favorite parts of the arts exhibits is anyone can enter and have his or her own show, which can often be a formative experience for newer artists.

“That was pretty cool when I did it for the first time,” she said.

The San Mateo County Fair runs Saturday, June 9, through Sunday, June 17. Hours vary. Visit sanmateocountyfair.com for more information and tickets to the fair or concerts.

anna@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 106