How far does $45 go at the Stanislaus County Fair? Here’s what we got for food and fun
The Stanislaus County Fair kicked off Friday evening with music, plenty of food, carnival rides and a water-skiing squirrel.
You can rack up quite the bill at this annual 10-day summer event, but with rising gas prices, inflation and everyday bills, you may be looking to save money any way you can — while still having fun.
The Modesto Bee went to the fair’s opening night on a budget. After admission ($15 for adults) and parking ($10, cash), we had a $50 budget to see how much fun could be had.
We spent three hours at the fair and came in at $42.
Pro tip: There are some days and times where you can get into the fair for free, and ways you can get free transportation to the fair to save on parking.
Here’s what we bought, and what we didn’t have to buy:
What we got for $42
Food and drink
When it comes to spending money at a fair, buying food is an obvious choice — especially when it’s the fried variety. And there’s nothing like eating a crispy, oversize corn dog with the view of a Ferris wheel in the background.
Our first $9 was spent on a jumbo corn dog from Munch-A-Bunch. There were other vendors with this classic fair food, but this is where we found the lowest price.
To wash it down, we bought an $8, 32-ounce Texas Twister Drink. The drink contains fresh-squeezed lemons, limes and oranges shaken with their red-colored fruity recipe.
Savings alert: With a coupon from a savings book that can be found at any of the entrance gates to the fair, you can buy one 32-ounce Texas Twister Drink and get one free.
To satisfy the sweet tooth, we bought three deep-fried Oreos from Funnel Cake Express for $5, bringing our total to $22.
Savings alert: A coupon in the savings book will get you $2 off a purchase of $10 or more from Funnel Cake Express. A different coupon for The Candy Stand will get you two free deep-fried Oreos for free when you buy three (price unknown for three Oreos at The Candy Stand).
Games and rides
For $20, we bought a wristband that got us 18 tickets for both rides and games.
Games generally require more tickets than rides, five to 10 tickets each, so we elected to get more bang for our buck and stick with rides.
We went on the Ferris wheel for five tickets, the carousel for three tickets, the teacups for three tickets, tilt-a-whirl for three tickets and the giant slide for four tickets.
Savings alert: Seniors 65 and older can get a free Ferris wheel ride Saturday. In addition, anyone can get two free ride tickets with a new toy donation Wednesday.
Free attractions at the fair
A lot of time can be spent watching shows and other entertainment at no cost beyond fair admission. Here are the ones we visited:
Shows
Zippy the clown celebrated the 50th anniversary of Swan Bros Circus by performing free shows at the fair Friday. He will have three no-cost showtimes during the week at 5:30, 7 and 9:30 p.m. On the weekend, shows are at 1, 6 and 9 p.m.
Twiggy the Water-Skiing Squirrel is making a stop during his 2023 tour to visit the fair. Watching Twiggy do his tricks on the water is free, and you can pay $5 for a meet and greet with the furry critter. Showtimes are 6:15, 7:30 and 9:15 p.m. during the week and 1:45, 4:45, 7:30 and 9:15 p.m. on weekends
The BMX Freestyle Team is putting on free shows weekdays at 6, 8 and 10 p.m. and weekends at 2, 5:30, 8 and 10 p.m.
There are also free concerts at all three stages at the fair every day.
Exhibits
The 4-H Farmyard Experience allows fairgoers to see local farm animals, dig for potatoes, grind wheat into flour and see animals at the petting zoo, all for free.
The exhibit also has nearly daily 6 p.m. shows:
Saturday, July 8 — rabbit showmanship
Sunday, July 9 — sheep sheering
Monday, July 10 — spinning alpaca wool
Tuesday, July 11 — how to fletch an arrow
Wednesday, July 12 — how to make a dreamcatcher
Friday, July 14 — Navajo-Churro sheep
Saturday, July 15 — when a doe kindles
Sunday, July 16 — peg-loom rug weaving
A floriculture competition is taking place at the fair in a gardenlike setting with rotating displays. The competition had 5,800 entries from groups including garden clubs, schools, 4-H, FFA and nurseries. Fairgoers can walk through and visit the displays at no cost, as well as enjoy the benches and picnic area.
