Clydesdales, livestock auction and exhibits a big hit at Butte County Fair

With the economy just beginning to pick up, it was no surprise to see the crowds down at the Butte County Fair this year. The Yuba Sutter Fair reported that they were down 14,000 in attendance last month, in comparison to last year’s amounts. Interim CEO Tammie McElroy reported on Sunday, that Wednesday and Thursday numbers were actually up from the year before. Amounts for the other three days were being calculated at press time on Tuesday.

Luckily, at such events as the Junior Livestock Auction, even with the amount of animals way down from previous years, again because of the economy, local bidders didn’t let the downed economy affect the prices paid.

Rabbits went for as much as $600 for three and a chicken went for $800, while some hogs went for as much as $19 per lb. The amount of animals shown was reduced from over 300 last year to just 261 this year, but it was amazing to some that the amount brought in last year, roughly $340,000 only went down to $312,701.50 this year for the gross grand total, phenomenal amount with the lagging economy.

While visiting with people walking through Farmer’s Hall, they mentioned the grounds looking great, the beautiful Clydesdales and their great performances and the Home Arts exhibits being at capacity.

The photography of local shutterbugs was displayed very well at Butte Hall and it definitely took some time to see all of the hard work from many exhibitors. In many instances, you could see the same name on many, as they gave a visual testimony to their recent vacation trips. All ages were represented in Butte Hall, complete with the coloring contest entries on display.

The Knights of Columbus dinner was fantastic Friday, taking the place of the California Deer Association dinner  that was served that night the last few  years.

Farmer’s Hall presented with many vendors and even some old time vehicles and tractors were very popular for people to gawk at.

The State of California tried to put a damper on things with a surprise visit on Friday, closing at least two food vendors for not having Workmans Compensation Insurance for family members working at the booths. This caused both booths to close down at least four hours, while they traveled to Redding to purchase the insurance for almost $600.

One vendor, who asked to have her name omitted, said she has been a part of the Butte County Fair over 30 years and had never had to purchase Workman’s Compensation Insurance in the past. She travels from MacArthur to Auburn fairs and has never been required to have that insurance. Needless to say, this hurt the vendors, by closing down for four hours. They weren’t blaming the fair, but they were not saying good things about the State. Just another sign of the financial state of California, if they are now resorting to charging Workman’s Comp for family members to work in vendor booths.

The State also took acception to the security staff hired on a part time basis and didn’t feel they had enough training. On Friday, after the visit, the security people hired could be seen with duct tape over the word “security” on their shirts, that said “event staff.”

But, after hearing these stories about the State trying to make money from our local fair, I heard more good reports later in the evening regarding the Olive, Wine and Beer Tasting in Expo Hall.

As you entered Expo Hall, you wove your way through Kid’s Town with endless free activities for children, such as big block stacking, a sand box and many more things for the kiddies to enjoy. There were even very large dinosaurs for the kids to ride, complete with raucous roars.

The motorized animals that all ages were riding through Expo Hall were a real deal at $4, as there didn’t seem to be a time limit.

At the end of Expo Hall, was a vast array of olives and olive oils for tasting, along with many wines and beers, as people could travel from one display to another, comparing the great tastes. The Butte County Commodity Premier got off to a great start and it will be fun to hear what theme and commodity will be featured next year.

The free pinewood derby and Big Wheel Races were a big hit on Friday, ending Kid’s Day with many ribbons being handed out.

Kid’s Day didn’t have the usual big crowd, but that is because Gridley schools were the only ones not in session.  As the Gridley kids rode the rides, ate the cotton candy and had corn dogs, the other local school kids, such as in Biggs and Live Oak, were already hitting the books for the year. This was obvious, as kids did not have to wait in line for the rides.

Stew Stewart gave a great performance Thursday night after being away from Gridley over 20 years. He currently plays at John Ascuagas Nugget in Reno.

The Tuff Trucks and X-treme Bull Riding were great fun in the grandstands Friday and Saturday nights, followed by the ever popular Destruction Derby, with  a huge crowd as always.