San Bernardino Heads to the Fair

Saturday, May 24, marked the first day of the San Bernardino County Fair. Running until the first of June in Victorville, the fair hosts dozens of attractions, food stalls, music performances, livestock shows, as well as art displays housed in numbered buildings. Those familiar with the Los Angeles County Fair will feel right at home, but also find something completely different as well. It is at once a familiar, yet unique experience. As with any County Fair, there are rides and games to play and food to eat. If families are looking to shop, a building housed a number of retail vendors selling anything from cooking utensils to hot-tubs. Another building displayed hand-made crafts such as articles of clothing, baked goods such as cookies and cakes, woven quilts, and even ceramic art. Joyce Wisdom, Chairman of the Ceramic Department shared, “All entries must be made within the year.” The time frame is between the previous fair and the next one. She also stated that “Everybody works hard for this.” The effort can be clearly seen in the intricate and delicate works presented. There are also works made by children displayed in two other buildings, ranging from collections of toys to painted art, to baked goods. For the children, it is a chance to have their hard work and effort displayed to the public. In addition, the event featured live animals, most of which would be called exotic, such as a red tegu lizard and an Eurasian Owl. Chief among these animals was a jaguar named Potion. A handler shared that Potion “was raised in captivity” and was male. Visitors could feed Potion by sticking a long spear with bits of raw chicken on one end through the bars of the pen. Although tame, Potion is still a very large animal and only his handlers, who are from the Hesperia Zoo, are allowed direct contact. The final event of the evening was a performance by musician Jerrod Niemann in the grand stands, though he was by no means the only one scheduled to perform. The fair also featured performances by the Marshall Tucker Band, WAR, and Mark Chesnutt.