Friday marks the beginning of the 76th annual Sacramento County Fair, featuring everything from a carnival, local bands, hot rods and food trucks to a demolition derby and bull riding. Thirty fun and thrilling carnival rides will be located in the midway for those seeking a thrill, while livestock pavilions will showcase the best of what the county –long an agrcultural powerhouse – has to offer. Tickets are $5, with children 12 and under getting in for free. Parking is $10. The fair is located at the California Exposition and Fairgrounds, 1600 Exposition Blvd. Click for more information about the Sacramento County Fair.

The California State Fair has been a main attraction for family fun in Sacramento for decades. This year did not disappoint. Smiling kids ran around in packs in awe of the lights and rides at their fingertips. Sitting on the children's midway among the funhouses and superslides sat rides from Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch as well as the Neverland sign itself. Fairgoers can enjoy the rides for only three tickets as parents and fans of Jackson take pictures with life-size cutouts of the King of Pop next to the Neverland sign. The joy on faces of the children as they were seated on Michael Jackson's Neverland rides was just what he would have wanted to see while celebrating his 51st bi