Your California State Fair & Food Festival Survival Guide
By Michael P Coleman
Friday’s forecast of 109 degrees didn’t deter me as I strolled through Cal Expo checking out booths and the like at the California State Fair & Food Festival. I’d spent the prior weekend sweltering in Las Vegas, where I stopped checking my phone after it overheated as I walked the strip in a black t-shirt, and the mercury had climbed to 115.
So last weekend’s 109 and 107 in Sacramento, to check out the fair? A cakewalk.
Well, it’ll be a pancake, on a sizzling griddle…but it’ll be a cakewalk, nonetheless.
That said, and even with the temperatures backing off a bit this week, you need a survival guide to get you through it. You already know about the water (you can bring your own or grab some there), the event’s several cooling stations, and the shaded areas where you can grub.
But what you might not have intel on, but NEED to, is SmartMart’s wine slushies. They’re back! If you’re over 18, you can’t get through the Fair without one…well, maybe you can, but you most likely won’t want to.
There are several flavors of the slushies in SaveMart’s wine garden, but to be honest, those flavors matter not! You can flip a coin and you’ll be good. For $26, you can grab a large, collectible mug filled with the stuff, and get it refilled for only $16 for the balance of the Fair. And one of them is the size of two or three standard cocktails, so it’s a value. And here’s a tip: save the mug for next year, where you’ll be able to reuse it to get the discounted refills at the jump.
Trust and believe me when I tell you that a wine slushie or two…or five…will chill you out during a warm day at the Fair.
I’ll give you the scoop on more about the fair, which runs through Sunday, July 30, shortly. For now, let me get my drink on and check out one of the biggest and best state fair’s in the country!
Read up on all things fair-related at calexpostatefair.com.
Your California State Fair & Food Festival Survival Guide
