KING CITY — The rides are arriving, entries were taken over the weekend, animals are weighing in today, and the Salinas Valley Fair is about to begin.
Over the past week, rides have been set up and fair entries and projects made by 4-H and FFA club members, students and community members have been judged. The trailers providing a resting spot for parents and club members have been set up.
The Stampede Arena will host several events all four days, including the AgriRace on May 18 at 7 p.m., the 4X4 Madness Hot Rod Truck Pulling on May 19 at 7 p.m., the Bull Riding and Rodeo events on May 20 at 7 p.m. and the Jaripeo-Mexican style bull riding and Tamborazo will take place on May 21 at 1 p.m. as well as Mutton bustin’.
“The Hot Rod Truck Pulling is part of a series of 12 truck pulls and we’re the second of the 12,”said Fair CEO TJ Plew. “Some of the final heats are going to be in Hollister later this year at the San Benito Fair.”
The series is by points that the participants will accumulate by attending more than one competition.
“We are looking for some local guys and gals that have really tough 4X4s and want to show how tough and strong their pickups are because they are going to be pulling a lot of weight,” Plew said.
The 4X4 Truck Pull is part of the Western American pulling tour promoted by WGAS and L&L productions.
On Thursday night, the Grand Wine Tasting will occur in the Expo Building at 6 p.m. The event will feature wines from the Monterey International Wine Competition that was held in March.
“There will be gourmet cheeses to sample and taste along with the wine,” Plew said. “The Cork and Plough will be there and Rosa Pacheco will be doing a lot of catering and serve a lot of things that folks love, which includes shrimp cocktails and burritos.”
The AgriRace features local farmers and ranchers racing against each other. The amateur drivers are required to purchase a four-cylinder vehicle with a maximum budget of $1,000. The event is in its second year. According to Plew, the fair is expecting about 18 drivers to participate in the event, hosted by Pacific Ag Rental.
“This year we have a lot of fun family entertainment,” Plew said. “This year we have Jeremiah Johnston with a throw show. He is a world-class juggler from the Salinas Valley area.”
Adam the Great will be doing comedy and magic. An 8-foot-tall dinosaur will roam the fairgrounds every day, in addition to a Pirate Parrot Show and a BMX bike show.
The buildings will house fair entries from arts to photos, jams, jellies, projects about raising animals and more.
Saturday, May 20, is the Junior Livestock Auction that will kick off at 8 a.m. with the presentation of colors by Fort Hunter Liggett and will auction off about 950 animals.
For more information and a complete schedule of events, go to SalinasValleyFair.com.
