hifalling Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 Welcome to Tulare!!! A small city, estimated population 430,000, just south of Fresno, California on Highway 99. Make sure you pronounce it correctly: Too-lair-ee. It is here, in Tulare, that I grew up, where a ton of my family still lives, and where our little adventure begins! I needed to visit my sister because she was in a pretty nasty car accident, and I took the first opportunity that I could to see her. Little did I know what was in store for me!!!! Tulare is the Dairy Capitol of the WORLD! Seriously!!! No need to ask GOT MILK... because "WE'VE GOT IT." Clever isn't it! Here is my High School! Home of the Redskins! (Is that Racist or what?!) This is where my morning began! In Tulare there are two things that the city shuts down for 1) The World Ag Expo (AKA:The Farm Equipment Show, to the locals. I know, I know! It sounds DUMB but it's HUGE! it's the World's LARGEST Agriculture Exposition), and 2) The Tulare County Fair! September 12, 2007 just happened to be the opening day of the Tulare County Fair, School was not in session, and the locals have staged a parade complete with marching bands, horses, and floats! Great fun! This is my sister Passion! I am her biggest FAN! She is the coodinator of the "Relay for Life" event in Tulare, which helps raise money to help cure cancer. She asked me and my friend Danny to participate in the parade by handing out fliers about the EVENT! I said sure, because finding a cure for CANCER IS COOL! Every one put on a purple shirt, and helped! Even my neice Alexis and nephew Hunter joined in the extravaganza! Hunter rocked the orange, but he repped with the Purple Ribbon! Hunter and my brother-in-law Scott play baby drop tower before we step off! (Gotta train them early!) The streets were lined with people! Just like Disneyland! The parade route was about a mile and half long, but we distributed over 500 fliers! Not too shabby! This Car/ Float was behind us in the parade...I don't know what JUGFEST is , but it sounded interesting! Now that the hard work was done! It was time to get excited for the fair!!! Once inside the fairgrounds we were bombarded by the aroma of food! Like any county fair, there was a large variety of FRIED EVERYTHING!!! I was looking for a salad, but settled for a taco instead! After we stuffed ourselves silly, I was itching to get to the midway! (You're probably thinking the same thing!) Now, I used to come to this fair every year, and when I left for college in 1995, I never came back! This would be my first time back in over 10 years!! ARGHH! Helm & Sons provided our Midway Entertainment! Bring on the FLAT RIDES! This gentleman led us to the Midway! The line to buy tickets, NOT Mexican food!!! Tickets will... Tilt and whirl you... Swing you... Flip you... Rock you... HANG you... "Fall" you... ZIP you... and Scramble you! (I know it's not a Scrambler!) OH look a Credit! After the lovely stroll down the midway, we decided to try our luck with some of the Midway Games! Now, I know that I have initially claimed this to be a Ghetto fair, but I was pleasantly proven wrong when we played our games! First, I only saw one carnie missing a tooth (Standards have gone up!), kids, even if they didn't technically win the game, were given a prize (talk about Courtesy!) and, we were given some pretty good deals on the price. (We didn't even have to haggle!) FISH BOWLS... We got 100 Rings for $5...that wasn't even an option! Pure magic I tell ya! We still didn't win. A happy 5 year old! A happy 30 year old! (Google Planet Unicorn NOW!) He's taking over the WORLD!!! It wasn't FASCINATION, but it had a ball and a hole. Ohhhh Jahan!! Don't worry these were also a prize option at the same game! Maybe others share your feelings toward penguins. Random Dark Rides and Fun Houses! Scary... But not as scary as this! Check out that RACK!!! Is this Jugfest? The Animal Exhibits were next! This part of the fair was not TPR friendly! Sorry Robb! I saw an ANGRY Turkey...he meant no JIVE! A lazy goat... A Cock-A-Doodle...He is totally staring me down! A floppy bunny... And a Guinea Pig...Hi Elissa! There was a sign for a Llama, but she was no where to be found. She must be on vacation in Japan with Chris! OH LOOK! This must be JUGFEST!!!! This one says, "Take me home Chuck!" The last area to visit was the kid section, which was quite impressive! Here is a few pics! My time was running out, so with that I had to bid the County Fair of my childhood Adieu, and head back to the OC. In all FAIRness (hee hee) it was a great day, with very little to call Ghetto. Even though it didn't have many intense crazy flat rides and coasters, it was clean, safe, and had some pretty cool things to do! If you ever have the chance to visit this fair, I strongly recommend it. Y'ALL COME BACK NOW YA HEAR!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Johnson Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 The Soren dark ride looks cool. Thanks for posting this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanks4me05 Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 Ghetto Fair? To be honest, that fair has some of the best looking rides I have ever seen in an American Fair Company. Their Orbiter is especially notable. There is only one comment I have: The Sousaphone I saw in one of the Marching Band pics is made of Fiberglass... come on! Personally, I prefer 30 - 45 pounds of brass on my shoulders with better sound quality instead of 5 pounds of crap on my shoulders. Besides, you get used to the weight in about a week. -Tanks "I have a Marching Band Competition Tonight" 4me05. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arrowfanman Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 CHUCK!!!! Awesome PTR! As boxing penguins is personal fantasy of mine, we'll both have to hit up the Tulare County Fair next year! Thanks for the photos! -Jahan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIP Psyclone Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 Nice, Chuck. I too thought "this fair doesn't look too ghetto" but when I saw that the roller racer game was using golf balls I thought "yup, that's ghetto!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hifalling Posted September 16, 2007 Author Share Posted September 16, 2007 Ghetto Fair? To be honest, that fair has some of the best looking rides I have ever seen in an American Fair Company. Their Orbiter is especially notable. There is only one comment I have: The Sousaphone I saw in one of the Marching Band pics is made of Fiberglass... come on! Personally, I prefer 30 - 45 pounds of brass on my shoulders with better sound quality instead of 5 pounds of crap on my shoulders. Besides, you get used to the weight in about a week. -Tanks "I have a Marching Band Competition Tonight" 4me05. Yeah! I know! This was far from being Ghetto! I was really impressed! BTW the bands that you saw in the picture were mainly Middle School groups, so a fiberglass sousaphone is probably a better option! The band geek in me is about to come out, do you use marching tubas, or brass Sousaphones when you march!? Back to topic: The Orbiter was impeccable, I really wish I could have seen it at night! The Soren dark ride looks cool. Thanks for posting this. Thanks for reading Erik! Soren's dark ride rocked! CHUCK!!!! Awesome Photo TR! As boxing penguins is personal fantasy of mine, we'll both have to hit up the Tulare County Fair next year! -Jahan Sure thing! And we can try to win the boxing gloves to bust the penguins! Nice, Chuck. I too thought "this fair doesn't look too ghetto" but when I saw that the roller racer game was using golf balls I thought "yup, that's ghetto!" HAHAHAHA! I didn't even think about that, but now that you mention it...Seriously though the operation was fantastic, and when you find a courteous carnie you really can't complain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldogmom Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 Great pics- looks like it was fun. My favorite were the animal pictures. The little piggies are ADORABLE! I can't get over the boobs on that Joker thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hifalling Posted September 16, 2007 Author Share Posted September 16, 2007 Great pics- looks like it was fun. My favorite were the animal pictures. The little piggies are ADORABLE! I can't get over the boobs on that Joker thing. I KNOW! isn't it OBSCENE!!!! I honestly wanted to take a pig home with me, but I know nothing about raising a pig. But I must admit that they were quite adorable! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebl Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 Looked like a fun fair, for a small town at least. But I didn't see much in the way of "ghetto." Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twistedmickey Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 Cool pics but there was something missing......SEAGULLS!!!! Looks like you had a great time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRapidsNerd Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 Y'ALL COME BACK NOW YA HEAR!? Hmmm....now where have I heard THAT before...and in California?? Kidding aside, looked like a fun fair and just an old fashioned good time. Glad to see that atmosphere still around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allisonLOVEsTPR Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 AWESOME looks like a lot of fun chuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verticalzero Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 Cute Pigs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexTitan01 Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 Wow that looked like an awesome time. We have a festival like that here on the East Coast called Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival. And apparently its kind of a big deal: school is shut down for 2 days, the entire downtown (not much...) of my city is turned into a midway, and we have atleast 100k+ people come in...to a town that can barely support 25,000! Oh, and NO ONE in the town takes a sober breath for 4 days! but anyways, nice TR Chuck. I thought it looked like a really nice fair/carnival. the Agriculture Expo seems like one of those things that people in the Tulare area would be only ones (besides farmers) who would know and be proud of the fact they have the largest agriculture expo in the world, Too bad there werent any seagulls around; that wouldave made the TR priceless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnewton34 Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 Awesome! I didn't even see this before I put up my white trash fair experience. Great minds think alike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandaman Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 ...So, between the fact that he's in a cage, with his ears down, and LOOKING down almost depressed... anyone else think this is a really sad photo? Nice TR, Chuck. LOL'ed at the penguin boxing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hifalling Posted September 17, 2007 Author Share Posted September 17, 2007 Y'ALL COME BACK NOW YA HEAR!? Hmmm....now where have I heard THAT before...and in California?? Kidding aside, looked like a fun fair and just an old fashioned good time. Glad to see that atmosphere still around. Funny how that quote pops up every now and then! EVEN in California! I am glad that the County Fair is still going strong. I was worried that maybe the culture ( if you can call it culture) and the novelty might die, but it seems to still be kicking! AWESOME looks like a lot of fun chuck It was fun....but is was no ! Cute Pigs I'm telling you, don't be surprised if I end up with a pet pig one day! Wow that looked like an awesome time. We have a festival like that here on the East Coast called Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival. And apparently its kind of a big deal: school is shut down for 2 days, the entire downtown (not much...) of my city is turned into a midway, and we have atleast 100k+ people come in...to a town that can barely support 25,000! Oh, and NO ONE in the town takes a sober breath for 4 days! but anyways, nice TR Chuck. I thought it looked like a really nice fair/carnival. the Agriculture Expo seems like one of those things that people in the Tulare area would be only ones (besides farmers) who would know and be proud of the fact they have the largest agriculture expo in the world, Too bad there werent any seagulls around; that would have made the TR priceless It was awesome fun! Would have been fun to crash it with a couple TPR friends! The "Farm Equipment" show, is really impressive, we get tourists from all over the world attending. Even from Japan! SPEAKING OF SEAGULLS: Its really funny, because I did think as I snapped Jahan's penguin photo, "HUH, there are no seagulls in Tulare!" and then I smiled and giggled to myself! Awesome! I didn't even see this before I put up my white trash fair experience. Great minds think alike. BAHAHAHA! That is AWESOME BABY! I loved your report! ...So, between the fact that he's in a cage, with his ears down, and LOOKING down almost depressed... anyone else think this is a really sad photo? Nice TR, Chuck. LOL'ed at the penguin boxing. I never noticed... but yeah... it is kinda sad, but I loved the floppy bunny! Pig> Floppy Bunny or Floppy Bunny > Pig? I can't decide! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grinch1313 Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 Great TR, Chuck! The fair looks like it would be a lot of fun! Love the photos! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRapidsNerd Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 TheRapidsNerd wrote: Quote: Y'ALL COME BACK NOW YA HEAR!? Hmmm....now where have I heard THAT before...and in California?? Kidding aside, looked like a fun fair and just an old fashioned good time. Glad to see that atmosphere still around. Funny how that quote pops up every now and then! EVEN in California! I am glad that the County Fair is still going strong. I was worried that maybe the culture ( if you can call it culture) and the novelty might die, but it seems to still be kicking! I was kidding you a bit because I used the same ending to my recent trip report and also thought the saying was relegated to the deep south. Now that I see you were going with a general "down home country" feel to your TR, it makes more sense, regardless of geographic region. Just didn't expect a small town feel in California. So, you have taught me something new here. Either way, glad to see it was just good fun and that they were so nice to the kids. Hopefully, that culture never disappears, as it's needed more than ever these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goliath513 Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 Yay for ghetto fair photo trip reports, though this one wasn't as ghetto as the official TPR one back in June. Still, looks like you had a great time. -Sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gotdane Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 Um....where's the Tango? Any fair that doesn't have a Tango is ghetto. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dino Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 Great TR! Looks like a fun time. Although I love major parks like Disney and Six Flags, I like local fairs alot cause they have such a personal small town feel to them (even though this seemed pretty big). With all the theme parks now these local ones seem almost old fashioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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