Day 1
Day one kicked off last night at the Fair and MyTurlock.com was there to cover it, and, of course, snap some pictures. As I made my way to the media entrance, you can feel the excitement and smell the goodies in the air. I only had two things on my agenda tonight, Tuff Trucks and Clay Walker.

Clay Walker entertaining the crowd.

The Tuff Truck competition featured some national competitors as well as some local talent. According to the Stanislaus County Fair Web Site, It’s a race against time for more than 50 “stump jumpers” on an obstacle course filled with bumps and jumps – with two rotations around the track! Three classes will compete for quickest time: (1) Local Tuff Trucks, (2) Pro-Arena Trucks and (3) Quads (four-wheel motorcycles).
A lot of exciting things happened in the arena last night, as well as some things that didn’t go as planned; rollovers, wrecks, and also a competitor whose truck broke down. In frustration, he got out of his truck and belly flopped in the mud pit. That was good enough to get the crown cheering!

After plowing his truck into the baracade, local driver Michael, is letting everybody know that he’s O.K.

Sacred Heart FFA getting their stables ready for their cattle.

At about 8:20 I made my way to the Budweiser Variety stage. I could hardly get near the stage because the place was jam-packed. I heard someone ask a security guard,” Who’s performing here tonight?” The security guard gave him the surprised look and said, “Clay Walker.” You probably could have cut the anticipation in the air with a knife because it was thick. Clay walker performed for a very diverse crowd, from the families in the stands to the die-hard fans and groupies in the front, Clay gave a chart-topping performance. The bar was definitely set on the first night of the Fair.

Poker Stars seen in the exhibit area.

Aaron from Grace Davis High School FFA in Modesto, showing off his chickens.

Day 2

Truck & Tractor Pulls and Bowling for Soup

The Fair had another exciting night at the arena. The truck & tractor pulls were going full swing and the crowd was alive. There was also another visit from Monster Trucks, Tropical Thunder and The Patriot. Those trucks know how to get the crowd roaring! As I made my way toward the Budweiser Variety Stage, I decided to go through the midway to see how the people were enjoying the rides. Of course, there were smiles everywhere. The Fireball looked like it was the most popular ride while some of the old timers, like the Zipper and The Himalaya, still packed them in. I had to admit, being in the midway brought back some good and fun memories. Even though I was enjoying myself, I still had to make my way to the Budweiser stage because Bowling For Soup was scheduled to start their performance in five minutes. Bowling for Soup, aka The Grammy Nominated Fat Guys From Texas (according to their biography) put on a fun and comedic performance. They didn’t have quite the turn out that Clay Walker produced, but still gave the crowd what they wanted. They played all of their hits and didn’t try to shove anything new down their throats, with a few jokes in between.
You won’t hear from me on Sunday because I’ll be at church. See you on Monday.

Bowling for Soup’s guitarist, Chris Burney, telling the crowd that there might be some rabbits missing

Bowling for Soup’s frontman, Jaret Reddick, giving a stellar performance

Little Big Band performing on the Cen Cal stage

Day 4

#906 sandwiched between two cars early on. Tough break.

Maybe it was the excitement in the people-packed stands, everyone dying to see the destruction derby and it rubbed off on me. I’m kind of a girly-girl, and I honestly didn’t think I’d like it that much. I was totally wrong! I had never actually seen a destruction derby before, but I could hardly breathe. It is such a cliché to say this, but there WAS some electricity in the atmosphere. There really was something in the air! It was fun and crazy. The crowd was expectant, and I would bet nobody left disappointed!

#34 car and crew

The drivers, many of them, are such hams. They would rev their engines and spin out, leaving 8 feet of dirt flying behind them. And we ate it up! When car 48 flipped on its side right in front of me the crowd went ballistic! The driver crawled out of the front windshield and proved he was fine by throwing his arms up in the air. The crowd roared. Two cars caught fire, but, thank God, nothing was life-threatening. All the crashing that I expected to happen happened. But it was funny and strangely magical and entertaining.

If you missed it, you’ve got to plan on going next year…seriously. You will love it just like I did! Count me among the fans. I’ll be there next year, ready for the show. How about you?

Tina Urrutia

#48 hit so hard that he ended up on his side.

#49 and #99 meet head on.

Mathew West getting the crowd going at the Budweiser Variety Stage.

Billy Boyer, of Rock Haven, rocking out to “Free Bird” at the Cen Cal Stage.

Day 5

Crunch, Boom, and Little Big Town

If someone would have told me that I could take a compact car, break all the windows out, weld some bars where the windshield once was, and enter the destruction derby, I would have thought you were crazy. I mean, the previous night, the cars were huge boats! There is no way a small car can compete with these gargantuan beasts. That’s why the destruction derby, Metal Mayhem, was all about the small car, I thought. From Gremlins to station wagon Pintos, these cars packed a good punch. There was even a tiny, little Ford Festiva giving everybody a run for their money! However, even though the men gave a good show, it was the women that brought a loud roar to the arena. I thought the men played rough! From running each other into barricades, to one car hitting someone so hard that her car ended up on top of the other car, these ladies got down to business.

Also on the card tonight was a performance from Capital recording artist, Little Big Town. Once again, The Budweiser Variety Stage was at full capacity. The sound was good, the lighting was bright, and the crowd went away satisfied.

#11 car giving the #88 car a push

Demolition girls showing everybody how it’s done.

Compact cars beating the SMACK out of each other

Little Big Town performing on The Budweiser Variety Stage

Day 6

Motorcycle Jumpers take the stage at the Food Max Arena

The Motorcycle Jumpers came to Stanislaus County Fair and made a great impression. They did some tricks that were unbelievable! They were going up a ramp, going nuts in the air, and then down a dirt ramp. One guy let go of his bike in mid-air and appeared as if he was flying over it. There were spectacular stunts performed. In the crowd, there seemed to be a general consensus that the drivers were crazy, but in a good way! They fed off the cheers from the crowd and adjusted their level of risk accordingly. The more everyone screamed, the crazier they got.

The quad drags also happened. Seeing some of the guys run these races was hilarious! It was County Fair fun and wholesome family time. Lots of families were in the stands. Come to think of it, lots of families participated in the drag races! There were children’s division, as well as adults only. The kids suited up in their helmets, boots, and uniforms, too! Everybody was safe and had a good time.

You could feel the anticipation in the air. The place was filled with Baby Boomers decked out in their tie-dyed shirts. Some even brought their grand kids. So why was the Variety stage over-filled with people and then pouring out into the petting zoo and concession stands? If you need to ask, then you weren’t informed that The Doobie Brothers were scheduled to give a knock-out performance. As soon as the first chord was struck and the Doobies started walking on stage, the crowd went wild. From Patrick Simmons switching from the electric guitar to the acoustic guitar during the opening song, to Tom Johnston busting out a solo on Rocking Down the Highway, the Doobies played a rockin’ and exciting set.

Aerial maneuver Tweaked Out

Patrick Simmons throwing down a lead.

Michael Hossack delivering a solid set.

Quad Drag races punching it until the finish line

Tom Johnston singing and jamming to “Rocking Down The Highway”.

John Mcfee switching from electric to acoustic during the opening song, to add that little something extra.

Tom Johnston(guitar) and Marc Russo(saxophone) having a good time on stage.

Skylark jamming and singing back up.

Day 7

The Budweiser Clydesdale Horses doing the figure eight maneuver.

The Pro Rodeo and Raven Symone, Oh Snap!!
O.K., I'm going to be real honest with you. I'm not going to say it any other way. It was packed, last night at the Fair. Last night all kids up to twelve years old were let in for free. Not to mention that one of Disney's biggest stars was scheduled to perform at the Variety Stage. Now one would ask, why would a young singer and actress, one who's at the top of her game, want to perform at The Stanislaus County Fair? There's only one explanation for this, Stanislaus County Fair Rocks.
Now Raven wasn't the only international celebrity. There was another appearance that had quite a big draw. Before today if you asked me if I believed in giants, I would have said, "no way". I probably would have thought that you were talking about the baseball team. What I saw at the arena was something that was not only beautiful, but big. It was the Budweiser Clydesdale Horses. These horses were so humongous, that it would have even impressed someone who wasn't a horse enthusiast. We were impressed.
The Midway also was a big draw. I watched an eleven year old boy ride The Crazy Train. I didn't remember this ride from my youth. As a matter of fact, when I looked at it, I wasn't sure how it functioned. When I saw that ride start spinning riders on a capsule shaped track non-stop for about 3 minutes, it made me sick to my stomach. So back to the eleven year old boy, before the ride started, he had a look of uncertainty. When the ride was over, he didn't have the same look. He had the look of pure joy. It was, quite obviously, a good night at the fair!

It’s a lip smacking good time @ Jurassic Journey

A representative from the Alpine Pacific Nut Company & The Almond Board of California handing out yummy samples

The smile says it all. After 11year old, Cameron(Turlock), rides the Crazy Train.

A picture of Raven from the back of the bleachers. Like I said, it was packed.

Bucking broncos at The Rodeo in the arena

A calf roping competitor showing everybody how it’s done.

A sample of Malynda Green’s textile work

Day 8

The Beach Boys performing to a packed crowd at the Variety Stage.

Stanislaus County Sheriffs Deputies, showing off their horses to the Fair crowd.

Mike Love pointing to all of the California Girls

Original member, Mike Love, still giving the crowd what they want.

Bruce Johnston playing the intro to California Girls.

Day 9

Virginia Glick getting ready to perform The National Anthem

Tyler Ash(Waterford) taking a sharp turn to take the lead and win.

Motocross racers getting ready to start

Hayden Herrin(Hickman), gets some last minute preparations from his grandpa before the race.

Mini bike division competing for that trophy

Founding member, Otis Williams(2nd from the right), still has what it takes to put on a good show.

The Temps take the stage