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| | The 2008 Daily Grounds Act & Exhibits will include the Lights, Camera, & Animal Baboon Show, Welde's Bear Show, Cowboy Ken's Rawhide Railroad, Dennis Forel Balloonacy, Russell Brothers Family Fun Circus, Young American Stars, Music Express, and much more.
You can also enjoy the Farm Babies exhibit. Over 14,000 competitive exhibits and animals will be on display.
Gate admission prices will be:
Adults - $7.00
Seniors - $5.00 (65 & over)
Children - $3.00 (ages 6-12)
Under 6 - FREE
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| | When a movie producer needs a performing baboon, chances are they will call Kevin Keith, the host of "WILD ABOUT MONKEYS". Training baboons is his speciality. He believes baboons to be, by far, the most socially intelligent primate.
Combining the rare skills of an excellent trainer and the incredible instincts of the wild as well as domestic animals with which he has become friends, Kevin will delight and amaze his audience with fun, education, and great entertainment for the whole family.
Kevin's baboons have starred in numerous motion pictures including the blockbuster film, "Evan, Almighty". | |
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| | A family pet has historically fallen into the category of dogs, cats, mice, and sometimes even an exotic snake or other reptile. The Welde family, however is the exception. Their pets are cuddly, cute, furry, and, within the family, quite loveable. They are definitely not your average pets. To most people these are considered wild animals and rightfully so. The Weldes, however, have made their bears their pets. These pets range in size from 200 lbs to 1200 lbs. Their performances are raising the level of awareness of the dangers of loosing our beautiful endangered species.
Bears have been part of the Welde family for nearly seventy years. Starting in Trondleim, Norway with Johnny Johnson Welde who had the dream of running away with the circus. As he learned of their extreme intelligence he became fascinated with bears and they soon became his passion. By the time he was 26, he had his own trained bear act.
Today third generation John Welde III along with his wife Monica and their two children, Jennifer and Johnny IV, continue the tradition. They take great pride in the responsibility that comes with the continued breeding and the providing of bears to various zoos throughout the country for the purpose of conservation.
The Welde's training methods are based on developing the natural and unique talents of each individual bear through patience, reward, love and understanding. The relationship between man and bear must be one of mutual respect. The Weld's goal is to educate the public through entertainment to promote the preservation of some of God's most beautiful and important creatures, "Welde's Big Bears". | |
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| | BUDWEISER CLYDESDALES
These beautiful animals were first introduced to Anheuser-Busch on April 7, 1933 to celebrate the repeal of Prohibition. August Busch Jr. wanted to commemorate the special day. To his father's great delight, the hitch thundered down Pestalozzi Street carrying the first of post-Prohibition beer from the St. Louis brewery.
To qualify to be a Budweiser Clydesdale, the horse must be a gelding at least four years of age, must stand 72 inches or 6 feet at the shoulder, when fully mature must weigh between 1,800 and 2,300 pounds, be bay in color, have four stocking feet, a blaze of white on the face, and a black mane and tail. Each hitch horse will consume as much as 20 to 25 quarts of whole grains, minerals and vitamins, 50 to 60 pounds of hay, and 30 gallons of water per day.
Driving the 12 tons of wagon and horses requires quite a bit of strength and skill. The 40 pounds of reins the driver holds, plus the tension of the reins equals 75 pounds. All hitch drivers are put through a rigorous training period before they are given the reins. Each harness and collar weighs approximately 130 pounds. The harness is handcrafted from brass and leather. Pure linen thread is used for the stitching. The harness is made to fit any horse, but the collars come in different sizes and must be individually fitted like a suit of clothes.
Why does a Dalmatian accompany the hitch? Dalmatians have traveled with the Clydesdale hitch since the 1950s. The Dalmatian breed has long been associated with horses and valued for their speed, endurance, and dependable nature. Dalmatians were known as coach dogs, because they ran between the wheels of coaches or carriages and were companions to the horses. In the early days of brewing, Dalmatians were bred and trained to protect the horses and guard the wagon when the driver went inside to make deliveries. The black & white spotted dogs were swift enough to keep up with the wagons, and their light colored bodies and distinctive marking made them easy to see during twilight hours. Today, the Dalmatians are perched atop the wagon, seated next to the driver. | |
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| | Dennis Forel is one of America's foremost Balloon Sculptors. Dennis has been performing professionally since March 1975. Nowadays he mostly performs at state and county fairs throughout the United States. As well as the U.S., he has made appearances in Alaska, Mexico, Japan, and the Bahamas. Dennis is a member and performer of the Academy of Magical Arts, also known as the Magic Castle in Hollywood. | |
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| | Discovering Science Museum "Neon Fair Package" will include a Indoor Hands-On Science 4,000 square foot area. All Hands-On exhibits are guaranteed to create lasting family fair memories.
You can see the world from inside a bubble in the interactive bubble area. Steady Hand Testers will put your nerves to the test. See a whole new reflection of yourself in the Morphing Mirror. And light up your day with thousands of volts or electricity with The Plasma Disks.
Discovery Islands are designed to provide fun and cutting edge science in a new exciting way. Come dig for buried treasure on Treasure Island, a genuine mineral filled island. And dig for those special shells on Sea Fari. You can take home a collection of minerals and shells on a Fair Souvenir Card. Touch and hold live "not so dangerous" reptiles at the Radical Reptiles table.
Exciting Electrical Stage Show. Fairgoers can expect enormous amounts of electricity to pass through their bodies. Lightning will jump through the air to illuminate bright green light bulbs.
Hands-on Science Projects can be built by fairgoers of all ages. All projects are taken home by their creator at no additional fee. Robots, experiments, and fantastic physics make our projects the "Ultimate Souvenir". | |
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| | The Rawhide Express is the finest custom built electric powered touring train around. This environmentally safe train carries fair-going families in comfort and style and provides a great view of the fair. You can listen to a personal narration of the amazing items on the fairgrounds as we acquaint you with all the fine foods, drinks, shows, animals, and commercial vendors.
Cowboy Ken and his Rawhide Express have been receiving rave reviews performing at fairs since 1995. | |
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| | When grandparents, moms & dads bring their children to see the West Texas Rattlesnake Show, they are making exciting, joyful, and thrilling memories that will last a lifetime. Years ago, my grandfather told me that when he was a little boy, his father took him to see Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. I always loved hearing those stories and Grandpa loving sharing the memories.
The show starts out with the snake wrangler standing in our specially designed glass enclosure with rattlesnakes crawling freely around his feet. Although his legs are clad in snakeproof chaps, it's impressive to see the rattlers crawling freely around him with their fangs and venom intact. Once the snake wrangler has introduced himself he then lifts the rattlers individually (with specially designed snake tongs and hooks) to introduce each one to the crowd. During the introduction the snake wrangler announces in an amusing tone that if it were not for him these rattlers would be boots and belts by now.
There is one rattler that with a little assistance does a perfect impression of a "caduceus" ( the American Medical Association insignia). This is a clever and appropriate introduction to an anti-drug message.
Next is a demonstration of how to use the hooks, tongs, and tubes when dealing with rattlesnakes. By the end of this segment the audience is educated in the art and practice of safely handling rattlesnakes.
You now experience a close encounter with a rattlesnake that has been safely tubed by the wrangler. He announces that "this is the only SAFE way to handle venomous snakes". Veterinarians, lab workers, and research workers all use this method. You are now invited to come up and safely touch the snake's rattle and learn more about the age and gender of the rattlesnake.
The show concludes with a spectacular display of a rattler actually striking and poppin a balloon with lightning speed. | |
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| | Leave your "bad temper" behind, "strike while the iron's hot", and "forge ahead". That is only part of the entertaining message the husband and wife team, Michael Olson and Christy Horne of Angels Camp, California, have to tell. Many of the phrases we still use today were derived from the early days of the village blacksmith.
New to the fair this year, the Village Blacksmith, a traveling stage show, is both entertaining and educational. A costumed and animated storyteller, Christy Horne, tells one of four old stories of the blacksmith and his shop. Stories like, "How the Horseshoe Got Lucky", a blacksmith version of "The Sword in the Stone" and the history of the blacksmith shop.
While Horne tells a story to the audience, Olson demonstrates his craft, hammering out five lucky horse shoes from his anvil during the twenty minute show. They are then personalized and given away after each show. | |
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