MADERA - The 2019 Madera District Fair completed it’s run on Sunday, September 8th with another successful year! While attendance numbers were down about 10% over 2018’s record numbers with just over 54,000 people visiting over four days.
Visitors the Fair spent more time and money at the Fair than ever before with nearly a half-million dollars being spent on food alone. Favorites included the normal cinnamon rolls, BBQ, beer and tacos with new treats such as deep-fried Oreos, rainbow grilled cheese and loco churros filling bellies around the Fair!
The Fair’s Farm to Fair exhibit continued to grow with the addition of a water education display being made to the already popular IFafarmer's Market and play area. Families filled the area for four days of fun that included playing in the corn pit, racing around the tractor track, and expanding imaginations with some of the Fair’s amazing grounds entertainment.
The Fair also continued its 4th year of partnership with Madera Unified’s MadTown Robotics team in the technology and gaming filled TechTown. MadTown Robotics featured their World Championship winning design along with virtual reality, Fornite competitions, energy drinks and more! The Fair is very proud of these students and their mentors and looks forward to seeing more in the future from this amazing program that has helped to educate our community about different emerging technologies.
Headline entertainment for the Fair included Country icon Trace Adkins, 80’s rockers LoverBoy, an awesome night with the Commodores, and a Sunday doubleheader with Voz de Mando and La Original Banda El Limon. To keep each night going after the main concert, the afterparty continued on the 20/30 stage with Bruno Mars covers by Uptown Funk, the wild antics of Metalachi, the popular Eagles Tribute Band, and smooth original and covers by The Band Fresh.
As a new addition to the Madera Fair, the inaugural Ferris Wheel 5K Virtual Run participants crossed the finish line on Friday night and partied in VIP style with corn dogs and beer to celebrate their accomplishment!
And finally, the tradition of livestock shows in Madera was strong with 5 days of livestock and showmanship culminating in the sale of 261 market animals for $228, 121. The number of animals sold was down over previous years primarily due to the cancelation of the avian shows due to an outbreak of virulent Newcastle Disease.
However, this year's exhibitors were still able to participate in the Fair with the addition of a special contest that showcased their knowledge of poultry and bio-security through presentations that they made to a panel of judges. The program was so successful that the Fair hopes to continue it in 2020 and open it up to all species of livestock shown at the Fair.
Overall the Madera District Fair and its CEO are very pleased with the turn out this year. CEO Tom Mitchell states, “We work hard to add new activities to the Fair every year and the support and participation by our community make us proud. I hope that everyone will take the time to visit next year on September 10-13 for the largest party in Madera County!”
For More Information visit www.maderafair.com
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