The Santa Barbara County Fair kicked off in Santa Maria on Wednesday with a $5-before-5 p.m. special that encouraged people to see what the fair had to offer on day one.
The event is hosted at the Santa Maria Fairpark, and according to the fairpark's sponsorship coordinator Casey Douglas, everything is bigger this year.
Spaces where people can walk around have increased by 40 percent compared to last year. There are also more rides, both for older kids and smaller children.
The fairpark is expecting more than 123,000 people over the next five days. That's higher than the average of 100,000 the past few years.
The Santa Maria Fairpark introduces a new area called La Placita. It's dedicated to mariachi bands that will be performing throughout the day, including a Grammy Award-winning band. Pryor Baird, an Orcutt native and former contestant on The Voice took the stage at the Minetti Arena around 6:15 p.m. Wednesday night. The musician opened for Lone Star who took the stage around 7 p.m.
“We were thinking it might be hotter today, but this is perfect," Santa Maria resident Jose Rodriguez said. "Beautiful weather to be at the fair amongst the community. Perfect.”
According to the local teacher, Rodriguez says he's already seen more than a dozen of his students.
“I'm a teacher on summer break," Rodriguez added. "So, it's really cool to see all my students wander around and they kind of look at me like I'm an animal escaped from the zoo."
The $5 special encouraged community members to enjoy the entire day at the park.
“We got here at 3 p.m. and we got to pay $5," Santa Maria resident Yurilia Ramirez said. "It was such a deal. We were like, 'We're going to stay here all day.'”
That special meant kids on summer break filling up seats on every rollercoaster and ride.
“This probably can be the only day [I can come] because I still have to do a bunch of chores for my mother," Eli Echeverria, a Santa Maria resident, said.
“We are here for the rides," Ramirez agreed. "We got a little wristband to get on the rides. We just got off of the gravity one and it is so fun. We're just going to be here all night and just ride all the rides.”
The Santa Maria Fairpark website has more information on dates, times, and special deals.
