Rides. Cotton candy. Animals. Three words commonly referred to when people think of the Stanislaus County Fair. For me, the word that comes to mind is Walter. He is one of the many new friends I met at this year's fair. Walter, who has faced life with special needs, had a lifelong dream of meeting LeAnn Rimes. I had the honor of making his dream come true.

Walter's smile was as big as the Ferris wheel.

For 96 years, the fair has been making memories. For some, it is the memory of exhibiting their talents (this year there were 26,000 individual entries). For others, the fair is a reunion of old friends or the place they saw a "real cow" for the first time.

We welcomed 219,000 visitors this year. While the fair came and went in just 10 days, thousands of volunteers, exhibitors, sponsors and staff worked tirelessly for months in advance to make it happen.

On behalf of the entire board of directors, I extend sincere appreciation to everyone who contributed to the tremendous success and lifetime memories of the 2007 Stanislaus County Fair.

VITO CHIESA

president, Stanislaus County Fair Board

Hughson