FUN FACTS AND FAIR STATISTICS FOR THE 2014 BIG FRESNO FAIR
Fresno, CA….October 13, 2014…The gates have closed on another Big Fresno Fair, the largest annual event in the Central Valley! This year’s 13 day event welcomed people throughout the Valley and beyond, featured hundreds of vendors and exhibitors, plus a variety of attractions and entertainment! The following information has been prepared as of Monday, October 13, 2014, and includes a snapshot of interesting and unique facts and statistics from the 2014 Big Fresno Fair.
The Big Fresno Fair hired 686 employees for the months of September and October. NOTE: This does not include the local employees hired by our carnival provider, Butler Amusements, our Janitorial Company, Pritchard Sports & Entertainment or each of the individual food vendors.
Livestock Pavilion
- 898 animals were exhibited at the Fresno Fair.
- 182 animals (meat goats, dairy cows, heifers, chickens, turkeys and rabbits) were put up for auction at the 2014 Jr. Livestock Auction on Saturday, October 4.
- 479 animals (beef, sheep and swine) were put up for auction at the 2014 Jr. Livestock. Auction held Saturday, October 11.
- $794,954 was generated from the two Livestock Auctions.
- The most expensive animal sold for $10,000
- 40 bales of straw/sawdust were used in the Animal Birthing Center
- 525 pens and cages were set up.
- 62 clubs exhibited in the Livestock Pavilion this year.
- 124 gallons of soap were utilized at hand washing stations this year.
- 86 animals won champion awards.
- Livestock employees worked a total of 10,540 hours during the 13-day Fair
Ag Ventureland
- 52 pregnant sheep were brought to the 2014 Fair.
- 102 lambs were born on-site.
- 150 baby chicks were hatched at the Fair.
- 6 cows were milked at the Cow Palace Milking Demonstrations and 910 gallons of milk were collected during the 13 days of Fair!
- 140 baby animals were on exhibit
- 120 bales of shavings her used in the exhibit
The Fair Education Program
This annual program draws students, teachers and parents from Fresno County Elementary School classrooms who take part in educational tours of the Fair. Young participants visit each exhibit building and they are taught about the rich agricultural history of The Big Fresno Fair while using an interactive and educational guide and having fun all at the same time.
- Over 35,579 Fresno County parents, teachers and students toured the Fair on four different days this year as part of the Fair Education Program. This is the 22nd year of the Program.
Home Arts Building presented by Save Mart Supermarkets
- There were 100 homemade quilts that were entered for display.
- Pumpkin Carving Contest; had 10 participants
- There were 6 food contests:
- Ethnic Food Contest; had 7 participants
- King Arthur Flour “Great Cake” Contest; had 8 participants
- Made with Nuts Contest; had 12 participants
- Baked with Raisins & Raisin Pie presented by California Raisin Marketing Board had 30 participants
- Chile Cook-off Contest; had 5 participants
- Pie Contest; had 13 participants
- There was an average of 8 demonstrations per day
Wells Fargo Agriculture Building
- · The biggest pumpkin weighed 400 pounds.
- · 595 grapes were given ribbons in four different divisions.
Kids’ Town
- New Wizard’s Challenge Exhibit
- 36 STEM-based activities were on display in the Wizard’s Challenge exhibit
- 230,000 people entered the Wizard’s Challenge exhibit
- Thursday, October 9 was the busiest day in the Wizard’s Challenge exhibit with 40,000 people entering the exhibit
- 26 gallons of soap were used for the Bubble Arena
Gem and Mineral Exhibit
- 1,800 lbs. of polished rocks handed out during the Fair Education Program.
- $6,000 in scholarships awarded to Fresno State and Fresno City College students.
Free Entertainment
- 1,580 hours of FREE entertainment were provided during the 2014 Fair.
Brian I. Tatarian Grandstand
- · 547 horses ran in the races this year.
- · 83 races were held this year.
- · On average 6.6 horses ran per race.
- · 325 horses were stabled during the Fair.
SPCA
- 60 animals were adopted by Fair patrons during the 13 days of the Fair.
Wool Riders Only Mutton Bustin’
- · 550 kids participated in Wool Riders Only Mutton Bustin’
- · 50 sheep were brought for this attraction.
- · 50 bales of hay were used to feed the sheep during the Fair.
All-Alaskan Pig Races
- 52 All-Alaskan Pig races were run.
- The pigs ran a total of 2 miles.
- Did you know:
- Pigs are the 5th smartest animal on the planet.
- Pig’s IQ is about equivalent to most breeds of dogs.
- An adolescent pig can run around 15 mph.
Bull Riding
- 1 minute was the longest ride time.
- 1 second was the shortest ride time.
- A total of 2,250 people attempted the Bull Riding at the 2014 Fair.
Play It Safe
- 300 children were ID’d and fingerprinted.
- 1,000 Play It Safe Coloring Books were handed out at the Fair.
- 70 awards and 25 bikes from the coloring poster contest were given out at the annual Play It Safe Awards held on Saturday, October 11.
New Willamette Valley Pie Company
- 4,600 slices of pie were sold.
- 550 turnovers were sold.
- 2,500 slices of cobblers were sold
- Marionberry was the most popular flavor during the 2014 Fair.
Big Bubba’s Bad BBQ
- · 2,800 pounds of tri-tip were sold.
- · 7,000 smoked turkey legs were sold.
- · 1,100 ears of corn were sold.
- · 400 pounds of baked beans were sold.
West Coast Concessions Fairs, Churros
- · 9,600 Churros were sold.
- · 1,090 pounds of sugar and cinnamon were used.
Southern Comfort Kitchen
- 6,000 Fried Gator Bites on a stick were sold.
- 600 pounds of shrimp were sold.
- 700 pounds of rice were used.
- 5,000 crab fries were sold.
Texas Twister Drinks
- 880 oranges were hand squeezed at the Fair.
- 2,380 cherries were used in the drinks.
- 2,015 Texas Twister Drinks were sold.
- 4,100 pounds of ice was used.
Sharky’s
- 995 lobster corndogs were sold.
- 860 shark bites were sold.
- 4,900 pounds of fries were sold.
- 330 mini crab cakes were sold.
- 1,961 orders of lobster fries were sold.
Garlicky’s
- 9,000 Garlic Chicken Kabobs were sold.
- 3,500 pizzas were sold.
- 100 pounds of garlic cloves were used at the Fair.
- Chicken Kabobs were the most popular item sold from Garlicky’s.
Sonoran Hotdogs
- 2,500 hotdogs were sold.
- 200 pounds of bacon were used.
- 60 cans of pinto beans were used.
- 300 onions were used.
Jackson Enterprises – Grilled Corn Stand
- 6,200 ears of corn were purchased.
- 3,000 corn in a cups were sold.
Too Cool Icee Stands
- 14,900 straws were used.
- 68 gallons of syrup were used.
- 2,000 refillable sports bottles were sold.
Cotton Candy
- A total of 500 pounds of sugar was used to make cotton candy.
Original Soft Rolled Tacos Since 1947
- · 1,215 dozen corn tortillas were used at the Fair.
- · 14,572 rolled tacos were eaten at the Fair.
MBM Concessions/Fat Fanny’s
- 2,400 deep-fried Oreos were sold.
- 480 orders of deep-fried Twinkies were sold.
- 3,300 pints of fresh strawberries were used.
Legendairy Gelato
- 14,128 scoops of gelato were served.
- 3,715 waffle cones were served.
- 38 of World’s Largest Waffle Cones were made.
- 800 lbs. of waffle mix used to make the waffle cones.
- Top 2 top flavors were: cookies & cream and peach champagne
Jack Frost Ice
- An estimated 360,000 pounds of ice was used during the Fair.
Save Mart Wine Garden
- 270 bottles of wine were used throughout the Fair.
- 72 of those bottles were Fresno State award-winning wine.
Country Fair Cinnamon Rolls
- Over 32,800 pounds of flour was used.
- Over 11,000 pounds of cinnamon sugar mixture was used.
- Over 4,400 pounds of butter was used.
- Over 5,100 pounds of cream cheese was used.
- Over 980 pounds of walnuts was used.
New Grandpa’s Family Fudge
- 500 pounds of fudge were sold.
- The top three flavors of fudge were:
- Snickers
- Chocolate Nut
- Chocolate
Jeanne’s Artichokes
- 2,280 pounds of artichokes were sold.
- Artichokes were the most popular item from Jeanne’s sold at the 2014 Fair.
- 1,220 deep-fried frog legs were sold.
- 460 banana dogs were sold.
Beerocks
- 1,800 pounds of flour were used for beerock dough.
- 1,500 pounds of ground beef were used during the Fair.
- 1,500 pounds of onions were used to dice up and mix in the beerock meat.
- 1,500 pounds of cabbage were used to mix in the beerock meat.
Funnel Cake Express
- 225 pounds of powdered sugar were used.
- 2,100 pounds of dough were used.
- 6,000 funnel cakes were sold at the 2014 Fair.
- 120 new Gooey Monster Funnel Cakes were sold.
- 40 new Pan Puffs were sold.
- 60 new Maple Syrup Funnel Cakes were sold.
- 200 new Deep Fried Candy Kebobs were sold.
Pepe’s Mariscos
- 950 pounds of shrimp were used for the ceviche.
- 1,000 pounds of shrimp were used for shrimp cocktail.
- 1,530 pounds of carne asada were used.
- 300 limes were used.
Dippin’ Dots:
- 840 pounds of Dippin Dots were sold.
- The top three flavors were Banana Split, Cookies & Cream, and Rainbow ice.
Old Tyme Kettle Corn
- 6,400 pounds of corn kernels were popped during the 2014 Fair.
- 3,550 pounds of sugar was used during the 2014 Fair.
Spud Shack
- 5,000 pounds of potatoes were sold.
- 800 baked potatoes were sold.
- 90 pounds of butter were used.
Polynesian Shave Ice
- 4,100 shave ices were sold.
- 920 pounds of syrup were used.
- The top three flavors were: Cherry, Bubble Gum & Tiger’s Blood.
Wellmon Concessions
- 650 orders of Dirty Fries were sold.
- 1,500 pounds of deli meat were used.
Sugar Shack
- 75 pounds of sugar were used.
- 125 candy apples were sold.
- Red candy was the bestselling type of candy apple.
Red & White Concessions: Corn Dogs
- 775 pounds of batter were used.
- 5,000 regular corn dogs were sold at the Fair.
- 3,250 jumbo corn dogs were sold at the Fair.
T Concessions Corn Dogs
- 40 pounds of flour was used.
- 20 gallons of mustard was used.
- 20 gallons of ketchup was used.
Gary Morse Concessions
- 2,100 bananas were used for frozen bananas.
- 18 gallons were chocolate were used.
- 42 pounds of sprinkles were used.
Good Ol’ Burgers
- 4,000 burgers were sold at the 2014 Fair.
- 2,250 pounds of beef was used.
- 230 orders of fried pork skins were sold.