Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee

This is an old time country fair: FFA & 4-​H kids showing off their animals and/​or projects, there’s the traditional baking, art, and home contests in the exhibit halls and farm animals in the barns. There is a carnival and carnival vendors, as well as local, county, and state organizations there to do public outreach. The Entertainment begins with the Saddle Queen and Miss Calaveras competitions on Thursday, live music by local and out of area bands throughout the weekend, with a headline band on Friday night, a pro rodeo on Saturday night, finishing with the demolition derby on Sunday night after the frog jump.
I Love the frog jump, it’s on Sunday afternoon at 3:00PM. If you can’t go on Sunday and want to see frog jumping, find out when the teams jump-​most of them do it on Friday and Saturday.
There’s lots for kids and families to do, including at least 3 children’s performers. But, unless you want fries and corndogs, the food choices are limited. Even in the Ranch House, run by a local restaurant, there is not much (if any) choices for people watching their diets. Gluten-​free, Vegetarian, Vegan, low-​calorie, low-​sodium, low fat choices are either non-​existent or there’s one or two options. Music in the evenings is usually entertaining, and the rodeo is a good one. It’s a good idea to bring chairs, a blanket, and a sun shade of you plan on spending the day here, there is very little seating, and the arena has a hillside, so you’ll need something if you are going to see the rodeo or demolition derby. If you are a local, it’s great to participate in the fair, you will meet a lot of people, and there’s a great sense of community at this fair.
I give it a three because for most adults (who aren’t participating in the fair), there isn’t a lot on offer here, especially if you want to eat. Once you have seen the displays, exhibits, and checked out the animals (and that takes about 1 ½ hours) then you have to wait until the frog teams are jumping, the music, rodeo, or demolition derby starts.

Too small and disorganized, aka pathetic… mid I could have a bigger better fair in my back yard.

The Calaveras County Fair is country living redefined. There’s rolling hills, animals everywhere, and of course, jumping frogs.
The grounds are clean, but the scale is much smaller than the fairs found in the Bay Area. You’ll never see Hootie and the Blowfish or Carrot Top make the rounds up here, but you will see a K9 patrol take down a guy for a half hour — and that’s good enough for me.

Ok, so I am a CCC (Calaveras County Child), so I’m slightly partial to Frog Jump, but I did want to leave my review for those of you who did not grow up with this yearly event.
So for starters, this fair is such a big deal, that the schools actually close Thursday and Friday. Some businesses, too. On Thursday, there is a parade on Main St. (HWY 49) in Angels Camp. Parking can be tricky, but if you have small children, parades are always fun. They start off at Utica Park, which does have a playground, so your kids can romp around in the grass and get some energy out before the parade starts. This is also a great time to check out the floats and parade entries. Remember, this is a very small, country town. The floats are homemade, quaint, and humble. The bands that may play are from the local schools, including the high school up the street, Bret Hart.
The fair opens directly after the parade. Parking is $ 5 and admission (currently, 2012) is $ 9 for adults. Kids used to get in free on Thursdays, not sure if that is still the case. Rides are usually set up in 2 areas, big kids, and little kids. You can buy tickets at any of the ticket booths, or if you plan ahead, you can buy a wrist band in advance for unlimited rides all day long for $ 25. (Rides used to be free, back when I was a wee child.)
This county fair has the usual grub… corn dogs, hot dogs, nachos, roasted corn, kettle corn, curly fries, snow cones, cotton candy, beer and wine, as well as plenty of other fair/​junk food. There is a gallery for photography and artwork, tons of vendor booths, livestock, 4-​H auctions, Miss Calaveras Pageant (Thursday evening), Rodeo, (usually Friday), and Smash Derby (my favorite, Sunday night). And of course, the Frog Jumping! You can sit and watch the pro’s attempt to beat the all-​time record, or you can «borrow» a frog and jump your own.
Tips from a local: Many people bring blankets, coolers, and food for the day. There is a large grassy area by the main stage where folks set up camp. Umbrellas and small tents are welcome. Frog Jump can often times get very hot; be sure to bring hats and sunscreen and stay hydrated. The nights can also be very cool. A sweatshirt and maybe long pants if you plan on staying late are a good idea. There are bathrooms located throughout the fair grounds. Some of the main buildings have restrooms as well, and if you don’t mind waiting a little longer, they are usually cleaner and better lit than the stand-​alone stone building restrooms. If you have kids, be sure to show them where the first aid center is (down the grassy hill to the right of the main stage) and where the lost and found is (at the entrance/​exit.) If you become separate from your child, this is a good meeting spot and this is where they will be taken to by a Frog Jump attendant should your family become separated. There are some hilly areas, and the rides area can get a little dusty.
I do have to agree with someone else who posted here, that there is not much frog related merchandise. There used to be more, when I was younger. There are usually one or two booths selling actual Frog Jump merchandise near the entrance/​exit. Some vendors will incorporate frogs into their goods, but it’s not the main item they are selling.
But all in all, this is a great little county fair that has plenty to do for the day. The town of Angels Camp holds much history, and is also a great place to check out if you decide you’ve had enough of the fair, and Mark Twain’s cabin is a must see.

A little bit of Middle America that non-​Californians would never figure was in this state. No, we’re not all as nutty as you see on TV, although we have our share of nuts.
This county fair is in the sticks. It’s a long drive from any populated area, first through farmland and then through the dry foothills and hundred-​year-​old gold rush towns. And then, just when you’re convinced that you’re lost, you arrive.
The typical offerings are here: Midway. 4-​H livestock. Exhibits by the locals. Health food (yeah, right). Concerts. Miss Calaveras County. Angels Camp and the environs gets *HOT* in the summer, but the grounds are done up to give you the most shade possible. Clean place, too. It’s not the State Fair in Sacramento, or even the county fair in Pleasanton; it’s a small town deal, so keep your expectations in check.
And then there’s the extra that makes this fair unique: the frog jump. Angels Camp has embraced Samuel Clemens’ first story so much that they painted a frog on the road at the corner of 49 and 4. And they do have a frog jump here, held over several days. It’s such a big deal for them that it’s held on the bandstand with lots of bleachers for the fans. Quirky fun.
It probably gets old for grownups, but your kids are gonna love it.

Great ‘hometown’ fair.
Very clean grounds… spruced up with fresh
paint all over.
Recommend going Thursdays for Fridays.
not crowded and you get a discounted admission price.
Normal fair stuff… food.
Not a ‘big’ fair. Some up and down hill walking.
Frog jump contest is interesting to watch if you have
never seen it before.
They have special events in the horse arena and one
of the nights they also have a demolition derby.
Great day trip… and worth it! Check out the photos…

The frog jumps is the best experience in the county… there is so much to do and everyone goes. If you don’t go you feel like you’re missing out big time. I am really excited for this year and there are new and exciting changes… new carnival company, back to having a Saturday night concert, etc. You can jump frogs eat carnival food (only once a year of course) see local art and baked goods, go on rides, bunjee jump, take the little ones for the time of their lives, see live animals, petting zoo, destruction derby, concert, rodeo, etc… they have it all… there’s no lace like it

Wanna jump some frogs in the middle of nowhere? Welcome to my childhood. Half the time I was out in Angels Camp in redneckland and the other half I was in San Francisco with the other half of my family.
Everyone old enough to have sex has it on their minds. Some horny country folk and some horny toads also. Ok, they are frogs, not toads.
When I was a kid they used to have a demolition derby and that was fun to watch (if you are 8 years old). Also they had a Huey helicopter there and I got to sit in the cockpit and pretend I was in the Apocalypse now. «I love the smell of hot Animal shit in the Angels Camp morning!»
Grab your huge frog and get behind it and jump behind it (try not to land on it) so you scare it so you get a record jump. Then enjoy the crappy live music.
A Peta members nightmare complete with country music as you see the 4H animals in cages and witness the horrible ‘sport’ known as bull riding.
Are you a heterosexual redneck and proud of it? Well yee haw, you’ll feel comfortable here.
Grab your RV and American flag and come on down. Have one of the local artists draw a crappy portrait of you then take one of those crystal meth and Coors light loving sunburned trashy white guys with a huge belt buckle back to your RV and ride him like a cowgirl!
Yee haw!
;(
Frog Jump rot in hell !
*gives middle finger*

I was kinda disappointed in this event. I too went on a Saturday — not the main event day so perhaps it gets better. It was really just a typical county fair — and not even a great one as far as county fairs go. It seems like they relegated the Jumping Frog Jubilee to the back burner so to speak. It was just shoved in between the midway and the blue ribbon barn.
I did enjoy being able to jump my own frog — that satisfied a life-​long goal (and was the only reason for 3 instead of 2 stars). But as a frog aficionado I was sorely disappointed in the lack of frog merchandise and frog-​themed events. I figured this place would be a frenzy of frog figurines etc, but no. In the end there was only one froggy hat stand and a vendor selling Frog Balls (spicy pickled brussel sprouts — tasty by the way).
The town of Angels Camp looked like a really nice quaint little town and would probably have had all the frog décor I could ever desire, but I was too tired to stop on the way back home.
Bottom line — If it is a frog fetish you are assuaging, go on the big event day &/​or stop in the town of Angels Camp itself.

I went on Saturday during open qualifications. It wasn’t quite so interesting then.

This fair was first reviewed by Mark Twain.
I was invited to the last day of the Frog Jump, which also featured a Demolition Derby, by my friend at the radio station I volunteer at. She has been attending this fair since she was four. She actually won a few ribbons in her day. Whew. Now that the back history of my invite is out of the way, my adventure telling can begin.
I’ll do my best to keep it brief. We left after the Bjork show Saturday night around 11p. After an hour and a half diversion through parts of the bay area that were in no way heading towards the Mother Lode, we overnighted in a Motel in Stockton. Next morning we were on our way through the final stretch of Hwy 4 headed through Farmington and similar towns to the mighty town of Angels Camp. It was a nice curvy hour long ride, passing olive orchards. We stopped off to see some old hearses my friends had discovered a previous year. Although I read in the car, if it weren’t for the book I would have been glued to the window.
We arrive and stop at Glory Hole. I really like this market. I have been out here for house boating trips and Glory Hole Market has all your fishing and camping needs. I am scouting for a kitchen magnet to add to my collection. I get to the register with no luck, but my water and the local beer, Snowshoe Ale, for the day. I ask the clerk, fingers crossed, about the magnets and she points me to their exact location. I was elated to find $ 3 homemade magnets of real frogs posed in hokey scenarios. One has super imposed wings and is sitting on a wooden chair and the other had «gone fishing». Score!
I know, get to the jump.OK. 5 dollars for parking and a nine dollar admission gets you in the whole day.
The fair is quite over the top kitchsy; very Country Mouse, if you know what I mean. And I am quite the City Mouse, yet I have been known to back country camp for a few days. So this was a nice weekend getaway. The fair was full of rides! Two areas, actually. One was set up for the young ones. The adult ride arena made my day alone by having BUMPER CARS!
The final jumps took place in the afternoon. A stage is set and well, you reallly have to see it. A riot of punny frog names were attached to the jockeys. And the action is one of a kind. It was easy to get into. And I was into it, for sure!
Some what nervous about fair food since I have been a pescatarian, I was not disappointed once. They had everything– Indian Tacos on flat bread, funnel cake, chocolate covered bananas, these crazy curly french fry logs with cheese (presumably processed), and good beer (XX).
Although, the Jump is what brings all the regulars out, my friend included, the Demolition Derby made my year. There were 3 heats, the finals, and the Powder Puff heat. Really, I have run out of the words and the eloquence to give anything more. If you are ever looking to explore the Mother Lode (Calaveras County) this is one of the best reasons to go. I have been out there for so much more, but this really takes it to another level. Next year, all 3 days and I’m entering a few frogs of my own which i have already named– Leapy Le Pew and Elvis Hopstello. YAY!