52nd District Agricultural Association
Presenter of the Sacramento County Fair
Mission Statement
The Sacramento County Fair is dedicated to the education of our community and its youth in agriculture, business and technology.
Historical Summary
The Sacramento County Fair was established in 1937 in the City of Galt on what is now the Galt Flea Market and Park. In 1948 it was changed from a County Fair to a District Agricultural Association and remained in Galt until 1954.
In 1954, the Fair was relocated to the State Fairgrounds on Stockton Boulevard and the County Fairground was deeded to the City of Galt. The 52nd DAA, working in collaboration with the State Fair, produced a spring Fair on the State Fairgrounds.
In 1969, the Sacramento County Fair moved along with the State Fair to the new Cal Expo facility and also took on the responsibility of producing the California State Fair Horse Show. County Fair produced the State Fair Horse Show until 1991. The revenues from the Horse Show provided the necessary funds to produce the annual Sacramento County Fair. Up until 1988, the County Fair was basically a livestock and indoor exhibit (pies, sewing, etc.) for junior exhibitors.
In 1988, the Sacramento County Fair took a major step to become an event with a paid admission gate, carnival, entertainment, food and commercial vendors and expanded programs. It began the transformation into generating its own operating funds and getting away from relying upon the State Fair Horse Show.
Due to the construction of the new Livestock Pavilion in 1990, the Sacramento County Fair was relocated to two separate facilities for that year. The County Fair relocated to the Placer County Fairgrounds in Roseville for that year.
In 1991, the California State Fair reassumed the responsibility of producing the State Fair Horse Show. This left the County Fair with a real need to make the Fair not only a great experience for people attending, but a financial success as well. Although there have been some rough times since 1991, we have developed not only a fun experience for people to attend, but we have been able to keep the Fair financially solvent with the assistance of a yearly State allocation. Attendance since 1991 has increased from 14,000 to 75,000.
In 2011, Governor Brown eliminated all fair funding throughout the State. The Board of Directors took quick action and formed the Sacramento County Fair Foundation (SCFF) a 501(c)3 charitable foundation that same year. The Foundations mission and goal is to educate the youth and adults in Sacramento County about the importance of hands-on agriculture, so they may become better informed citizens. Simply put, the Foundation is working to generate funds to promote Ag Literacy and guarantee the Fair will continue for years to come.
The Sacramento County Fair is the perfect example of education through entertainment. It is something SCFF wants to preserve, nourish, and expand on. This value-driven family event, strives to educate the community in a fun and safe way. Kids today are growing up Ag illiterate, and the SCFF strives to change that for the citizens of Sacramento County. For a majority of Sacramento and some exhibitors, the County Fair is the only agricultural experience they will ever have. But, as they become responsible citizens, they will make decisions that could affect the way we all live and do business.