Tips For Enjoying The Twin Falls County Fair—Our Top Five

The fair grounds are immense and contain a maze of livestock barns, show arenas, merchant buildings, food booths, carnival rides, gaming areas and more. Kristy Sommer, of Twin Falls, her three young children to the fair Monday and wished she had been prepared. While balancing a 10-month-old boy on her hip, she kept an eye on her 7-year-old twin girls eating corn dogs while meandering through a horse barn. “We just kind of showed up a few hours early before Dad gets off work,” Sommer said. “We didn’t leave the house knowing what we would do when we got here. Of course, the kids just want to go ride the rides. I want to take a look at the animals and stuff.” Fair officials make it easy to create a battle plan. Before heading out, grab the downloadable map of the Twin Falls County Fairgrounds.

Sure, the fairgrounds are dotted with restroom facilities and when you have to go, well, you have to go and it won’t be hard to find accommodations. However, last year, new restrooms--with expanded handicap access, were constructed. The project cost several tens of thousands of dollars but was well worth the cost. Take the time to seek out this restroom. They are located in front of the Merchant Buildings. The stucco-finish structure is earthen tones is a beacon among the row of home arts buildings next to it. You can’t miss it.

After shelling out good money to enter the fair, make sure you get the most bang for your buck. It’s easy to do with acts like Play With Gravity, a progressive motorcycle show, and hypnotist Terrance B, both featured twice daily on the free stage. Shad Petersen and Jon Fankhauser rally the crowd as they promote the sport of Observed Trials, a motorcycle competition series where riders overcome obstacles on the bikes using control, balance and finesse. The show comes to a climatic finish with both riders ascending, “The tallest A-frame in the world right now,” giving each heights of over 20 feet into the air.

Whether you’ve just arrived, are getting ready to leave or simply need a pick-me-up visit Jitterbug Espresso for that much needed boost of energy. Owner Teresa Mclean serves a rich Milano bean blend that can be roasted into a plain Cup of Joe or extravagant order of espresso you’d like. “I’ve been coming to this fair for five-years and serve it all,” Mclean said. For a few bucks, try this year’s special concoction- A Espresso Sundae, made with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, topped with chocolate syrup and finished with fresh shot of hot espresso. Jitterbug is located on the north end of the concession line and west of the Sheep Barn, is open 8 a.m. to midnight.

In addition to food, the other item you’ll see in abundance at the fair are ribbons and awards. You can’t walk through a barn or display without eyeing red, white and blue ribbons, multi-colored rosettes and towering, shiny trophies. Lucky for fair attendees- you have a chance to get your own award even if you didn’t enter anything in advance. Several years ago, the fair unveiled the now wildly popular, A Fair Photo Contest. Every day, the top five electronically submitted photos are put on display in the Photography barn with the top three being awarded prizes. A top, grand prize is awarded at the end of the fair. More information and rules are listed here.