Indio Riverside County Fair camel (#1466)

It seemed we were communicating through stares, and I liked his/her face...part of the camel rides at the fair.

When you live in the Coachella Valley year-round, you regularly hear of the Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival. I’d never been and was curious, so convinced a friend to go – since we’re both allergic to crowds, we chose midday on a weekday.

I enjoy the combination of kitsch and serious local involvement you find at county fairs, but I think the last county fair I was at was San Diego county in the late 1990’s. This fair was not nearly as much about agriculture as I remember the last one, but then Riverside County is mostly either desert or suburbs, so it’s not surprising that the agriculture portion of the fair was relatively small. Regardless, it was fun (no, I didn’t ride the camels).