King City welcomes visitors to Salinas Valley Fair
The 75th Annual Salinas Valley Fair is taking over King City once again, meaning all the work behind the scenes can finally be shown off to the public.
That work extends not only to the organizers, but the show’s exhibitors, from livestock to specialty crafted items and even food.
If you caught Wake Up on KION, we heard from one of the organizers, Jessica Handley.
She says FFA students put either welded or built items up for sale in the Ag Mechanics Auction section of the fairgrounds.
“The kids I think they said spent about 60 or 70 hours building this teeter-totter alone just building it,” says Handley.
And who can forget about the food? One treat expected to make its way onto the fairgrounds is the cinammon roll.
It all started when Jim Parkhurst’s mom made her first batch of cinnamon rolls at home. Her first batch made for fair-goers back in the 70’s and has been baked for the fair ever since.
“We can’t even keep track of how many cinnamon rolls we’ve made over the years. My mother was first trying to sell the mix on its own when she came here,” says Parkhurst.
There’s some fun over at the fair to be had, too. Besides the carnival, the Wild Science exhibit also showcases science for the ag community while also educating the children who attend.
“We want them to be excited, because it is educational,” says Pam Shultz. “That’s our whole goal is to get them to like science and learn on the way.”
The science all ties in to what ag workers have to deal with in their everyday work. It’s a huge ag community in South Monterey County after all, including those kids who raise livestock to show at fairs like the Salinas Valley Fair.
Jazmin Loa is one of those livestock show exhibitors and her hog won grand champion in what is essentially her first year showing her hog at a livestock show.
“It was really hard getting up early to feed it, but it all paid off,” Loa says. “Sometimes it could have a hard time eating or it’ll gain weight or lose weight. It felt good to be named grand champion.”
For more information about pricing and the event schedule for the Salinas Valley Fair, click here!
