As the sun sets, crowds of people flow through the gates of the Pima County Fair. The culinary options, a steaming fresh turkey leg or barbeque pulled pork sandwich, fill the air with their aroma. To the right, a ferris wheel provides the opportunity to see the entire 640-acre complex. To the left is the Mega Drop, where guests can make the decision to free fall for the ultimate adrenaline rush. Sunday commenced the 103rd annual, 11-day Pima County Fair.
Food
The list of food choices at the fair was immense. Among the popular food items most at the fair were turkey legs and frozen margaritas from the Lime-A-Rita Sunset Cantina.
Sonoran hot dogs, piled high with refried beans, onions and peppers that could make you cry were sold by mobile food vendor Lisa’s Concession. Necessary to accompany the over-sized hot dog was an ice-cold lemonade, sold by the majority of the vendors. Powdered sugar covered the faces of many small children after they ate funnel cakes from Mad Hatter Funnel Cakes or deep-fried Twinkies from the Fun Zone Food Services.
Tradition
The average attendance over the two-week time span the fair was set up in Tucson was 250,000 people.
Beanca Samorano, a Pima County Fairgrounds guest services employee, said boredom may be the driving force bringing crowds of people to the fair.
“It is Tucson. There is not very much to do here, so [the fair] is one thing that we’ve got,” Samorano said. Samorano has gone to the fair every year it has been in town.
Music
The Pima County Fair hosted nine concerts, beginning with country artist Tyler Farr and ending with Voz De Mando. Other genres represented included rap, hip-hop and thrash metal through performances by Juicy J, Kottonmouth Kings and Megadeth, respectively.
The concerts brought in even more fairgoers at night.
“When YG and Kid Ink came Thursday, it was a madhouse,” Samorano said.
On Saturday night, Lee Brice opened at 8 p.m. with his hit song “That’s When You Know It’s Over.” People stood on chairs and atop tables and chanted the chorus to each of Brice’s songs.
At the end of the night the 130th Pima County Fair, and the last chance to grab your favorite fair food, came to an end — until next year.
@SavannahHiccups
