Pamela Fyock says she's not going to let the Tulare County Fair shut its doors for good. Not on her watch. She's spending Friday organizing and putting the final touches on a fundraising event for the Tulare County Fair that will be held on Saturday.
"We're going to have a lot of fun, and raise some money, and increase the community support, and let everybody know what we're doing tomorrow," said Fyock.
The Tulare County Fair CEO says 450 people have already bought tickets to enjoy dinner, dancing and a raffle on the fairgrounds. At $100 a ticket, the fundraiser will raise more than $45,000 to help keep the fair running.
"There's so much more than just the food and the rides -- they're important and everybody likes a great corndog or a deep fried treat -- but it really is about hands-on education," said Fyock.
Two years ago, all fairs in California had their funding cut. For the Tulare County Fair, that meant a loss of $300,000 dollars a year.
In November, the Tulare County Fair Foundation started back up again and is hoping for full support from the South Valley. Fyock says it's not just about the financial support, but community involvement is key to the fair's success and longevity.
"It takes everybody; they need to get involved, they can't just say somebody else is doing it or somebody else is supporting it. They need to show up and participate in their community," said Fyock.
Fyock is also hoping to boost dwindling attendance numbers. Last year, roughly 65,000 people attended the Tulare County fair. Organizers are hoping to reach more than 75,000 this year by adding new and improved vendors and entertainment.
