SACRAMENTO -- The Sacramento County Fair opened Thursday and runs through Monday, with an estimated 75,000 people expected to attend over five days at Cal Expo.
The fair events include a carnival, concerts, and competitive events as one thousand students from across the county will compete in animal and creative competitions.
Held at Cal Expo, the fair runs through Memorial Day. More than 100 vendors of food and local shops are set up and expected to provide an economic boost.
"We're both Sacramento natives, and the weather's really nice—so we thought we'd come out here for opening night," said fairgoer Brad Morris.
Behind the scenes, students from FFA and 4-H programs have been preparing livestock: feeding, grooming, and raising animals as part of a comprehensive education program.
"It's a great opportunity to teach students how to connect the public with agriculture," said Jordan Albiani, an ag teacher at Galt High School.
CBS Sacramento spoke with three Elk Grove High School students who shared about the last few months of raising livestock. The fair is considered the grand finale of the hands-on project.
"The biggest challenge is that these are real animals and they rely on you for everything," said Kylie Bryan, a student from Elk Grove High School. "You have to be up early in the morning, feed them, bathe them—everything."
State restrictions due to bird flu led to the postponement of the dairy cattle and poultry shows this year. The egg show still went on as planned, where students presented a dozen eggs to be judged.
Mike Albiani, a fair board member and Elk Grove High School ag teacher, told CBS13 they pivoted to give students the same competitive opportunities that they would have received at the fair.
To do this, on Thursday, students were judged at the school site and will be able to market and sell their poultry, without attending the fair, due to the guidelines.
More than 6,000 students are expected to attend the fair on school-led educational trips and on Sunday, community partners will step in to bid on livestock, potentially bringing in thousands of dollars to support both the programs and the students behind them.