THE BALLOON MAN

San Joaquin County Fair winds down


Christopher Juarez, 7, left, and his father, Art, go for a spin on the Ferris wheel on Father’s Day, also the closing day of the San Joaquin County Fair in Stockton.
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from:  recordnet.com
By Lori Gilbert,Record Staff Writer
June 17, 2013
There was no waiting - for rides or food or anything else - as the San Joaquin County Fair ended its five-day run Sunday. The barns were largely void of animals - having been shown and sold - and the crowd was down to a trickle in the early afternoon.
Those who spent the early part of Father's Day at the fair, before the evening bull-riding crowd arrived, did so with smiles on their faces, though.

 
6/16/13 Aeriana Xenos, 6, does cartwheels on carnival area on the closing day of San Joaquin County fair.
CALIXTRO ROMIAS/The Record
"I love the atmosphere, love watching kids having fun," said Doug Wilkerson, 48, who had son Bret, 23, and daughter Kaitlyn, 18, along with him for the annual visit.
The Modesto family visits the San Joaquin County Fair every year.
"We just went to the BMX show, and that was fun," Bret Wilkerson said.
"I'm looking to going on some rides," Kaitlyn Wilkerson said.
Doug Wilkerson's love of fairs dates back more than 20 years when he was in the military and stationed in Germany, where his son was born.
"Every town in Germany would have a festival, so there was a carnival in every town," Doug Wilkerson said.
He and his wife had an artist's caricature done of them at one of those carnivals and the tradition continues. Before Sunday was out, he would have another sketch of his children done to add to the yearly collection of drawings at home.

6/16/13 Luis Laguna, 5, grabs a winning duck on the closing day of San Joaquin County fair.
CALIXTRO ROMIAS/The Record
Elizabeth Rincon began the same tradition for her family by early afternoon.

Attending the fair with her husband, Richard Frey, daughter Alison Rincon and granddaughters Aeriana and Samantha Xenos, Elizabeth Rincon clutched a freshly drawn image of her blond haired granddaughters, age 6 and 18 months respectively.
"We already came, but (Aeriana) had so much fun she wanted to share it with her grandma," said Alison Rincon, who grew up in Stockton attending the fair every year.
"We were from a little town in the desert (Barstow), and we didn't have anything like this, so when we moved here (in 1988), this was a big deal," Elizabeth Rincon said.
Alison Rincon had continued the tradition that started when she was a toddler by taking her own daughters earlier in the week to enjoy the rides. Aeriana was especially excited to ride the dragon roller coaster. Last year, she wasn't tall enough for the grown-up ride. Although a few rides were on the agenda for Sunday, she entertained herself by doing cartwheels as the family decided on which event to visit next.

 

6/16/13  Cerjio Mayoya pushing his son Joaquin, 12, with his daughters Marcellina Mayoya, Angelina Malone, and her daughter Kyrrah Malone, 3, all with parasols protecting themselves in 90 degree heat on the closing day of San Joaquin County fair.
CALIXTRO ROMIAS/The Record
The pig races and rodeo - in various venues on the grounds - were on the agenda.
Greg Frisbee set up his show in the middle of one of the walkways. The juggler/comedian/fire eater had fairgoers gathered around him as he ran through his routine that did, in fact, end with his eating fire blazing on the end of two torches.
On the community stage, a singer performing a fine rendition of "Get Together" drew only a crowd of 10.
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