The Comal County Fair, founded in 1894 by Harry Landa, is an annual event held between Sep. 30 through Oct. 1 in New Braunfels, Texas. The event hosts a parade, various rides, a rodeo, music, shops, and food vendors.
The parade was held first and was a great introduction to the fair. It drummed up excitement for what people would see at the fair by showing the sponsors, school bands, and other performers that were all going to be present at the event. The parade floats were unique to the city and promoted many local businesses. Schools home to Comal County were included, which allowed them to showcase their school spirit.
Although county fairs have a tendency to be mediocre at best when compared to large scale amusement parks, the Comal County fair rides provided a great experience and an adrenaline rush.
“I’ve been going to the fair my whole life,” junior Edith Lujan said. “I’ve never been to actual fun carnival rides so the fair rides are my top tier.”
There are a variety of rides, including a ferris wheel, drop tower, miniature roller coasters. They are all safely operated by the fair ground workers and are constantly monitored.
“[The rides were] a 9/10,” junior Jacob Bautista said after riding The Tornado. “I got tossed around a lot.”
Many vendors were located throughout the grounds and were unique in their own ways. People were able to get a caricature of themselves drawn at one shop and get western apparel in another. The food vendors were fantastic and served amazing Texas-style cuisine.
“I love fair food,” Principal Wiley said. “My favorite one was the chicken fajita quesadilla.”
The entire experience was all around phenomenal. The fair is a great way for people to make happy memories that they can look forward to reliving every year. There was a strong sense of community and everyone was able to bond over their love for New Braunfels.