Tag: State Fair

‘Tis the Season…

for beer festivals! I will be keeping you up to date on all the beer happenings in the area this summer.

Beer festivals are always a good excuse to drink in the name of charity. Also, did you ever notice that almost all of the charities that these fests support are children’s charities? Do you know why we need so many children’s charities? They are too young to drink beer, so people feel sorry for them.

Raley Field Beerfest is being put on for the first time this year as the annual beer fest for the Northern California Brewer’s Guild, which is headed up by Rubicon owner Glynn Phillips. The event is tomorrow, Saturday the 12th. I have no idea what time this event starts as the organizers have done a “less-than-stellar” job at promoting it. Admission includes 10 complementary tastings, more can be purchased. One small suggestion to the NorCal Brewers… You have a web site. Maybe you would, oh, I don’t know, promote your event on your web site?!?!!?!? Promote it somewhere? One more note – No one in their right mind is going to pay almost $9 in Ticketmaster fees for a $25 ticket when we can buy one onsite for $30. Beer patrons, arrive early and anticipate a long line. Expect between 30 and 40 breweries from across Northern California.

The 8th Annual West Coast Brew Fest is the following Saturday, May 19th, from 1-5pm at Miller Park. Notice the handy link to a web site where you can get maps, information, and purchase a ticket with no service charge that is actually $5 cheaper than onsite the day of the event. No tokens, admission gives you unlimited tastes. Expect almost 50 breweries from across the West Coast and beyond.

Drink safely, my friends, and drink only the best.
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL BREWERIES
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL BREW-FESTS

And, for the love of all that is holy, drink beer to save a child.

YEEEEHAAAWWWWW!!!

Hide your women, horses and cattle.  The Cattlemen are a-comin’, partners!

SACRAMENTO — The California Cattlemen’s Association and California CattleWomen’s Association will be holding their 90th Annual Convention at the DoubleTree Hotel and Convention Center in Sacramento from Nov. 15 — 17.  

This year’s convention features two major fundraising functions — a kickoff dinner and auction for the Livestock Memorial Research Fund, and Protecting Our State’s Stewards, Economy and Environment committees. The fundraisers will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 15.

In addition, the Allied Industries group will be hosting a wine and cheese social prior to the convention kickoff and will follow up with their bingo night on Thursday, Nov. 16.

Proceeds from the function will go towards the Allied Industries Scholarship Program, which last year paid out over $11,000 to California college students. 

Clean-up and deodorizing will continue through the weekend.  If you get cornered by one of these varmints, here’s a primer on Cattleman small talk.  Ask them about the foreign trade of beef, or if California should allow the slaughter of horses for food.  You’ll be in for quite a treat.

 

Fair Enough

So, the fair is pretty fair this year. I actually greatly enjoyed my day at the fair this week. They’ve revamped a number of items and restored a few that were missing from last year’s festivities. The animals were cute as always (why do they have to be so tasty?), and the mullets were out in force. One major disappointment though came from the bobsled ride. This is the ride where you go around in a circle crushing the person on the outside while ridiculously loud classic rock shatters your eardrums. Well, times are changing my friends. The basic ride hasn’t changed much, other than a paint job that now suggests a surfing theme rather than a bobsled theme, but the atmospere has completely been ruined. Rather than the Ratt and Scorpion and G&R that we were looking forward to, our musical selections were “Over My Head” by The Fray and “Stars are Blind” by Paris Hilton. Let’s just say that sound of Paris Hilton’s highly modified voice at 150 db is not my idea of “Big Fun.” But that’s not what you want to know; you want to know where to get the best lard infused, grease forward, atery hardening goodies that you’ve been waiting all year for. Well, here you go:
Continue reading “Fair Enough”

Where’s the Big Fun?

I haven’t been to The State Fair yet, but I think my two girls will go crazy for the livestock stuff so I think we’re going to make it this year, eventually. I have to ask, however: is it just me or does attendance seem way down? Where is the traffic snarl backing up from Expo to the WX? Over the weekend I was able to drive in to the Arden Fair parking lot and grab a sweet spot outside Nordys and get out with no delay. Last night we drove past the fairgrounds at 6:30, prime fair dining time, and the lot seemed about half full.

I know my evidence is entirely anecdotal, but those are 3 major indicators that the Fair is in town and they are non-factors thus far. What gives? Discuss.

Everybody’s Working for the Weekend

Kenny Loggins, Loverboy, Boyz II Men, REO Speedwagon, Sinbad, Village People, Rick Springfield, Ted Nugent and Tesla. The cast of a new reality show where washed up celebrities go on diets or blind dates? NO. The soundtrack to your upcoming high school reunion? NO. The leftover Karaoke choices at the end of a long night on a cheesy cruise to Ensenada (she asks from experience)? Alas, no.

My friends, these are the headline acts for the California State Fair starting this Friday. Are we not California? Can we not do better than this? It’s bad enough that it will be hot and the parking overpriced but really, Tesla?

Here’s to You, Mr. Bald Ice Skater Business Man

As you know the downtown outdoor ice skating rink is up and running. Usually it’s packed with kids after school hours. Today at lunchtime it was practically empty. That is except for a business man in a full-on suit & tie, leisurely doing laps on his lunch hour, with his hands casually behind his back and that slow-motion relaxed pace that people who can ice skate use. “That guy is cool,” I said to myself. And now you can say it too.

Flickr: Photos from Big Fun

So the State Fair is over. The CoolDMZ clan didn’t get a chance to go, though we were thinking about it this fine Labor Day weekend. To see what you missed, or to help jog your memory if you had too many deep fried delicacies and blacked out, check out these Big Fun ’05 tagged Flickr photos that I found via Get in the Sac.

A few Administrative tidbits: Contrary to popular belief, comments on The Sac Rag are not moderated, but merely checked by humans in order to obliterate spam. Fortunately, comments by people who have previously commented can be automatically accepted, it turns out. In case some of them are coming back ever, which at this point is kinda 50/50. Also, comments on The Sac Rag reflect the respective opinions of the commenters, even if the commenters are Sac Rag contributors.

And who doesn’t love fireworks?

The California State Fair experienced its first fireworks show Friday evening of ’05. Unfortunately, this show wasn’t of the “…skyrockets in flight, afternoon delight” variety. No, the CSF (again, the acronym thing, not good) just wouldn’t be the same without some good old fashioned gunplay. According to News10.net, “as many as nine shots from a .22 caliber handgun” were fired as two groups of teens, “engaged in some kind of altercation with another group.” And to top it all off the suspect (who was arrested) is only 17! And to top it all off even more, “authorities said the alleged gunman threw the handgun away just before he was grabbed by officers on Heritage Lane.” Super, great, grand. Just what we need as folks make their way to the fair from offsite parking. No word yet on whether the gun was retrieved.

Cali-what now?

Graswich has a great tidbit today from one of his readers…

Jacquelin Siegel wonders why the California State Fair is embracing all things Hawaiian, from Hawaiian shirts to Hawaiian surf legends. “That is really sending the wrong message,” Jacquelin said. Fair officials say they tried to limit the Hawaiian references. On the bright side, the fair isn’t embracing all things Texan.

Genius. Can’t wait to avoid that crap. But what’s up with the Texas dig, Bob? I heard it’s unwise to mess.

Because two weeks just wasn’t long enough

Please allow me to switch gears for a moment and do away with this WNV chatter. Who wants to talk California State Fair? According to our dear friends at News10.net this year’s fair has been extended another week! That’s 3, count them, 3 weeks to savor your favorite deep fried chocolate treat, to try out that great utility knife that can simply cut through anything, and to enjoy your favorite band of yesteryear. While I could go on and on about this “celebration of all things Californian” let me leave you this excerpt (also from the News10.net article):

    “Parking is $7, though carpools of four or more are $6.“

That’s right, our beloved environmentally friendly, always pushing the envelope, never to be outdone, city (could be a state order, I’ll admit) is offering a whopping dollar discount for loading up your SUV with your friends and family and heading out to the fair! Now that’s something to celebrate!