The California Mid-State Fair kicked off opening night with a return to normalcy on Wednesday.
The Mid-State Fair is expected to draw 3 to 400,000 people into Paso Robles over the next week and a half.
“I think our favorite thing about the fair is friends and community. It’s a chance to come together and socialize,” said Paso Robles Resident Danette Cordero-Hammond.
“I love the Americana, I love the people watching, the food--and they bring in great music,” said Nancy Howard, a San Luis Obispo native visiting from San Diego. “Being with friends, there are also photo booths that we love to go in because that is very nostalgic for us, we act really goofy in the photo booths.”
“It’s nice because this is in my town and you don’t get this stuff everywhere so it’s pretty cool,” said Paso resident Calvin Thompson.
“Me and my friends wanted to go to the fair-- so we gathered some money and we were super excited when we got here,” said Aiden Fuleki.
From the zipper to the Ferris wheel, there was an abundance of rides for thrill seekers of all levels.
“My favorite ride is the zipper for sure, I love the spins and I just love the feeling of how it spins you so many times going back and forth, it’s great,” said Fuleki.
Organizers are celebrating a return to normalcy after the fair was canceled in 2020 and then scaled back in 2021.
“We are known for our big name entertainment so we have people from the valley, people from San Francisco, LA but really, a majority are local people that wanna just come and celebrate what our community has to offer,” said Colleen Bojorquez, CEO of the California Mid-State Fair.
“People from all walks of life are coming together from across California for the next week-and-a-half.
“I’m up for three things-- to see my mom in San Luis then be with my friends tonight at the Journey concert and then a 40-year reunion-- San Luis Obispo High School Tigers 40-year reunion,” said Howard.
“The Mid-state Fair is special because of the sense of community. I see friends and their children that I haven’t seen for a while—all the projects that they’re doing, the animals,” said Cordero-Hammond.
