Alameda County Fair closed on Sunday ahead of major storm
PLEASANTON, Calif. (KGO) -- The Alameda County Fair announced it will be closed on Sunday due to the incoming storm.
The fair said on its website, "we have decided to close our gates for Sunday, October 24, to ensure the safety of our guests, the Fair team, and our partners. We look forward to welcoming everyone back on Monday, October 25 - Sunday, October 31."
It also added that guests who were planning on attending on Sunday can use their tickets to any other day of the fair admission and the carnival.
Video is from Friday's story
The Alameda County Fair was cancelled twice in two years over COVID-19 concerns, and now it's up against an atmospheric river of rain. So on Friday night, the first night of the fair, people were taking advantage of a break in the storm.
"I have to have that sausage right there, that's the one I want right there," exclaimed Pleasanton resident, Tim Kirk.
A polish sausage, corndog, curly fries - there's nothing new about the county fair, but as Kirk says, that's the point.
"Look at all this nostalgia," he said, "I haven't been to the fair in forever, so it's good to come back to the fair. It's been a long, long time."
RELATED: Bay Area gets break between storms before strong atmospheric river moves in Sunday
A break in the storm and COVID cases, means the Alameda County Fair is back after a two-year pandemic pause.
Kate Larsen: "Have you missed this fair?"
Itzel Delacruz: "Yeah, yeah I have! It's been so long since I felt normal basically."
Fremont resident, Itzel Delacruz, has been coming to the Alameda County Fair since she was a kid, and she knows a thing or two about gaming the games.
"They all have little tricks here and there," she explained, "the most easy one has to be the balloon dart one, that one's pretty easy."
LIVE: Track rain in San Francisco Bay Area with Live Doppler 7
RELATED: Alameda County Fair ready to make changes amidst weekend rain
Fairs typically take place over the summer, but COVID concerns pushed Alameda's back to October, when the Bay Area is usually flush with warm weather, not a week straight of rain.
"We're lucky we got a good window because it was raining all day but we had to flip the coin and say why not, let's just go out and do it, because if we wait it's probably going to rain some more," said San Leandro resident, Latoya Bryant.
Bryant is right - since an atmospheric river of rain is forecast for Sunday.
"We currently don't have plans to close the fair," said Tiffany Cadrette with the Alameda County Fairgrounds.
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Cadrette says ride inspectors are constantly evaluating safety conditions. "We're monitoring everything, if things were to become unsafe, we would certainly activate a plan and pivot and change our course at that point."
Monster Dog manager, Willian Von Pertz, relies on the fair circuit for his income, so losing that during the pandemic was tough and weird....
"We have worked some crazy events. We went to a prison at one time in Fresno."
But Von Pertz is not going to let a little... or a lot... of rain ruin his parade (the line of customers at his food stand). "It is a letdown, but you can't let that dampen your spirits. We still have today, we still have tomorrow."
One dog, ride and dart at a time.
