Shasta District Fair visitors can expect toasty temperatures; livestock entries rise

Jessica Skropanic and Mike Chapman, Redding Record Searchlight
·3 min read

The Shasta District Fair on Wednesday kicked off its annual four days of fun at the fairgrounds in Anderson.

If you go, be ready for triple-digit temperatures during the daytime with clear skies and bright sunshine, according to the National Weather Service.

"It's going to be toasty," said Anna Wanless, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Sacramento.

Maddy Reese, 2, of Cottonwood cools down with a frozen banana while getting fanned by her father, Daniel Reese, on a hot Wednesday afternoon during opening day of the Shasta District Fair on June 22, 2022.
Maddy Reese, 2, of Cottonwood cools down with a frozen banana while getting fanned by her father, Daniel Reese, on a hot Wednesday afternoon during opening day of the Shasta District Fair on June 22, 2022.

Fair-goers can wait until after sundown to escape the high heat. The weather service says nighttime temperatures this week will range from 70 to 74.

This week, fair activities include live entertainment, carnival rides and games, livestock exhibitions and the Junior Livestock Auction, vendor and food booths, and Saturday night auto racing, according to the Shasta District Fair and Event Center.

Fair guests may want to stagger their outdoor fun with visits to shaded indoor exhibits to get out of the baking sun.

Ty Cooke gives a drink of water to Nut at the Shasta District Fair on Wednesday, June 22, 2022. Nut was raised by Macey Bunn of the Foothill FFA and has been judged as one of the top sheep at this year's fair.
Ty Cooke gives a drink of water to Nut at the Shasta District Fair on Wednesday, June 22, 2022. Nut was raised by Macey Bunn of the Foothill FFA and has been judged as one of the top sheep at this year's fair.

The weather service advises fair-goers to drink water, protect their skin with a hat or sunscreen and limit their outdoor stays.

Wednesday was expected to be the hottest day this week, with temperatures reaching at least 106 degrees, Wanless said. Afternoon highs on Thursday through Saturday will range from 100 to 103 degrees.

The good news is there will be little or no wind, Wanless said. Despite the heat and dryness, without wind there won't likely be elevated fire weather concerns to mar people's fair fun.

The fair ends Saturday, but expect the triple-digit heat to last through Monday, according to the forecast. On Tuesday, high temperatures should drop into the upper 90s,

"Summer is here," Wanless said.

For more information go to the Shasta District Fair grounds’ website at www.shastadistrictfairandeventcenter.com or call 530-378-6789.

'Agriculture alive and well': More kids showcase farm animals

Go to this week's Shasta District Fair and you'll find the barns are bustling and livestock pens filled to capacity.

"My numbers are definitely up this year," the fair's new CEO, Melanie Silva, said about the higher number of livestock entries, which include a menagerie of beef, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens and rabbits.

Palo Cedro 4-H member Zoe Thompson sprays water to cool off Lulu the pig as part of her barn duties at the Shasta District Fair on Wednesday, June 22, 2022. Lulu was raised by Adri Allen, 15, in her first year as a Palo Cedro 4-H member.
Palo Cedro 4-H member Zoe Thompson sprays water to cool off Lulu the pig as part of her barn duties at the Shasta District Fair on Wednesday, June 22, 2022. Lulu was raised by Adri Allen, 15, in her first year as a Palo Cedro 4-H member.

There's a busy arena schedule through Friday with 4-H and FFA members, as well as independent youth exhibitors, showcasing their prized animals before judges in the rings. Then on Saturday comes Junior Livestock Auction Day when the junior ranch hands hope to make a profit as they part with their animals.

Silva believes last year's huge sale at the auction encouraged more kids to enter the fair this year.

Palo Cedro 4-H leader Katy Zulliger also thinks more children wanted to get back to raising animals because they were tired of being cooped up while dealing with the pandemic.

"We had to squeeze in here a lot more because there were a lot more kids who really wanted to get back into showing animals and doing agriculture," Zulliger said.

"Agriculture is alive and well in Shasta County," she said.

Fallon Hawkins of the Anderson-Mt. Lassen Grange takes a nap atop her steer in one of the livestock barns during the Shasta District Fair on Wednesday, June 22, 2022.
Fallon Hawkins of the Anderson-Mt. Lassen Grange takes a nap atop her steer in one of the livestock barns during the Shasta District Fair on Wednesday, June 22, 2022.

This year's 4-H/FFA Community Barbecue will be held from 3-7 p.m. July 9 as a drive-thru at the Anderson fairgrounds. A number of bidders and businesses who buy the animals at the auction then donate them for the barbecue as a fundraiser for the clubs.

Tickets are a $15 donation and can be purchased from 4-H and FFA members who are at the fair and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the UC Cooperative Extension-4-H office at 1851 Hartnell Ave. in Redding.

The fair is open from noon to 11 p.m. Thursday and from noon to midnight Friday and Saturday.

Mike Chapman is an award-winning reporter and photographer for the Record Searchlight in Redding, Calif. His newspaper career spans Yreka and Eureka in Northern California and Bellingham, Wash. Support local journalism by subscribing today.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Shasta fair visitors can expect toasty temps; livestock entries rise