Marin County Fair Kicks Off Wednesday – Are You Going?

Fresh off a banner year in both attendance and revenue, the five-day Marin County Fair is ready for another go-round, kicking off Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the Marin County Civic Center Fairgrounds in San Rafael.

The 2013 edition is built around a "Schools Rule" theme, featuring a robotics competition, a spelling bee, a science fair, nightly fireworks at 9:30 p.m., an array of scream-inducing rides and a host of musical performances.

The Schools Rules theme brings with it a host of education-oriented exhibits, including Marinnovators, a 6,000-square-foot exhibit featuring five interactive learning pods demonstrating technologies and possibilities for the future, from 3D printing to SIM video games. 

The exhibit includes The Viper: Built for the Maker Faire, a Battlestar Galactica-themed motion flight simulator constructed by five Marin teens: John Boyer Alex Jacobson, Joseph DeRose, Sam Frank and Sam DeRose. It consists of a fuselage from a Piper aircraft mounted in a custom platform capable of 360 degrees of rotation on two axles.

The fair will also feature the Chinese Circus of Beijing's acrobats and martial artists performing daily in Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium at 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Here's who performing this year (along with day/time of their set):

• Weird Al Yankovic – July 3, 7 p.m.
• The Kingston Trio – July 4, 3 p.m.
• Eddie Money – July 4, 7:30 p.m.
• Zendaya – July 5, 3 p.m.
• Ozomatli – July 5, 7:30 p.m.
• Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – July 6, 3 p.m.
• The Wailers – July 6, 7:30 p.m.
• Mariachi Sol De Mexico de Josè Hernandez – July 7, 3 p.m.
• Pointer Sisters – July 7, 7:30 p.m.

The 411: The Marin County Fair runs through Sunday, July 7 at the Marin County Civic Center Fairgrounds, 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael. Hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tickets are available online on the fair’s Facebook page, via the Fair website or on your mobile device. Visit the fair's website for more info and download the Marin County Fair’s new app m.magtogo.com/marinfair2013.