This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

GREAT ESCAPE: Santa Clara County Youth Fair

Food, farm animals and family fun can be found at the fair, and it's the best deal in town — free admission all four days.

This year’s Santa Clara County Youth Fair promises more of everything — more animals, more rides, more entertainment, more family fun — and even more fair food. Funnel cake, anyone?

What to do here: Several years ago, the county fair got back to its roots by downsizing and concentrating on family activities. And that recipe for success is paying off — this year, the fair has made it all bigger and better for 2011.

“Well, we definitely have more. More livestock in our new very cool indoor livestock barn, more vendors, more rides in the carnival, more days of fun,” said fair manager Delana Romero. The fair has grown from three days to four, with everything that there is to love about fairs — animals, rides, displays of everything from homemade candy to creative arts and crafts, and of course, entertainment.

Find out what's happening in Gilroywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

This year’s entertainment lineup includes Fables of the West, a kooky cowboy troupe which will perform daily throughout the fairgrounds. At the Youth Focus stage, selections from “Seussical the Musical,” “Alice in Wonderland,” “100 Years of Disney,” and more will be offered; at the Community Stage, there are martial arts demonstrations, and live dance and musical performances. Also on the schedule are old-fashioned favorites like funnel cake eating contests and stick horse races.

Why we like it: What kid doesn’t love the fair? It’s Kids’ Day on Friday, with the first 500 kids aged 11 and under who come through the gates having their choice of a free T-shirt or hat. Saturday is Family Day, with a talent show, pet parade and moto cross, and Community Day on Sunday includes a 4-H and FFA livestock auctions, a charro show and banda music.

Find out what's happening in Gilroywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In addition to the normal livestock offerings, like pigs and cattle, there will also be displays of guinea pigs, poultry, rabbits and pygmy goats, as well as a petting zoo and pony rides, and you’ll also find displays dedicated to computer science, collections and hobbies, and technology alongside the more traditional home preserves and needlecrafts.

And even more to like: The fair is introducing a special interactive display, “A World of Music,” where people of all ages can learn the principles of rhythm in daily workshops, as well as participate in drum circles. In addition, visitors will see more than 300 instruments from around the world in the “Museum of Music," proof positive that music is a universal language.

About the Santa Clara County Youth Fair: The fair will join others across the country in celebrating the 200th anniversary of county fairs in the United States, with the first such event held in Massachusetts in 1811. “It was splendid, novel, and imposing beyond anything of the kind ever exhibited in America,” exclaimed gentleman farmer Elkanah Watson, who attended that fair. Now, some 2,200 county fairs are held across the country each year.

Panels depicting that first fair, as well as imagining what future fairs might be like, will be on display in the fair’s Gateway Hall in the exhibit titled “Made in America — The Story of the Modern Fair.”

Directions and phone: The Santa Clara County Fairgounds is at 344 Tully Road, San Jose. Take Highway 87 north to the Curtner Avenue exit; turn right on Curtner and continue to Tully Road. To reach the office and information line, call (408) 494-3247.

The Santa Clara County Youth Fair will run this Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day. Admission is free all four days; parking is free on Thursday and Friday, and $5 per car on Saturday and Sunday. A complete schedule of events can be found at www.thefair.org.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?