LAKEPORT >> The animals and staff are bruised and sore, but the people and animals of A Walk on the Wild Side, which was scheduled to bring a tiger, bobcat and several other exotic animal species to the Lake County Fair, will recover. However, the crash that they were involved in when leaving Seattle, Washington, on Tuesday morning will prevent A Walk on the Wild Side from making an appearance at the Lake County Fair this weekend.
After a mad scramble on Tuesday, staff at the Lake County Fair found a replacement exhibit to take over the 6,000 square feet of the Alexander Barn.
Wild Science consists of dozens of highly interactive and entertaining exhibits and activities. Children and adults are encouraged to use their hands and minds to explore the amazing world of science and technology.
“It was crazy” incoming fair CEO Debbie Strickler said. “We got the call about the accident first thing in the morning, and we contacted every county fair and fair entertainer on the West Coast through the Western Fairs Association, looking for any exhibit that could give the public a fun and educational experience similar to the Wild Side exhibit.”
About 4 p.m. on that same day, the fair staff booked in the Wild Science displays.
“Pam Shultz of Wild Science saw a Facebook posting and called to say she would send one of her travelling shows up from San Diego,” Strickler reported. “It”s pretty amazing that we found such a great replacement on Labor Day weekend.”
The attraction has proven to be extremely popular with families, schools and the media. For example, the California State Fair hosted Wild Science at its event three years in a row. When exit surveys were conducted, they showed that Wild Science was both the most highly attended attraction and the highest rated attraction at the state fair.
The Wild Science attraction was created so that families and children could experience the mysterious and entertaining aspects of science and technology in a casual environment without having to sift through written information. Learning occurs through hands-on interaction with the various exhibits rather than through signage and information.
Adults and children alike have great fun participating in activities such as manipulating the robotic arm, creating man-sized soap bubbles, using radar to measure their pitching speed, taking the sense of smell challenge, dancing in the “wall of light,” creating high-tech music, exploring the Rube Goldberg machine and more.
In addition to the California State Fair, Wild Science also provides displays for the Alaska State Fair, the Tulsa State Fair in Oklahoma, the Tennessee State Fair, the Kansas State Fair The Calgary Stampede, the Los Angeles County Fair, the Orange County Fair, and the National Date Festival of Riverside County.
Wild Science can be found each day of the Lake County Fair in the Alexander Barn, near the goat displays.
Regular admission prices for the Lake County Fair are $10 for a regular ticket, $6 for a person older than 60, and $6 for children ages 6 through 11. Children younger 6 years old are admitted free-of-charge every day.
The Lake County Fair traditionally occurs Labor Day weekend each year at the fairgrounds in Lakeport. The fair will run through Sunday.
Lake County Fair is attended by nearly 40,000 people each year. The fair features a variety of entertainment, food, exhibits, a carnival, and livestock shows. The fair theme for 2014 is “Hot August Family Fun!”
The Lake County Fairgrounds are located at 401 Martin St. in Lakeport.
