‘Farm to Fork’ on wheels at Sacramento County Fair

See plenty of examples during a memorable exhibit at the Sacramento County Fair, which opens Thursday for its annual five-day run at Cal Expo.

On display will be several wheelbarrows turned into mobile gardens and planted by local students. Called “Farm Garden in a Wheelbarrow,” the program provides free wheelbarrows to public, private or charter schools, preschools, home school groups, after-school programs and 4-H clubs. Teachers also get free soil, seeds and teaching materials to create a portable salad garden.

Designed to help teach how food grows, the wheelbarrow gardens can be rolled in and out of classrooms, allowing planting and seed sprouting indoors before being transferred outside. Salad greens, radishes, onions and other spring veggies grow fast, keeping even young kids engaged. Most of the wheelbarrows on display were planted in February.

The fair will host free school tours Thursday and Friday until 2 p.m. each day. Registration is due Wednesday. To sign up:

https://sacfair.com/freeschoolprograms.html

As for the fair itself, Sacramento celebrates Memorial Day weekend with a wide range of entertainment, from monster trucks to bull riding to live concerts. This year’s theme: “Let’s Eat, Have Fun and Celebrate the Red, White and Blue.”

Admission is $8; children under 12 years admitted free. Parking is $10. Hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, May 23-26, and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Memorial Day, Monday, May 27.

Cal Expo is located at 1600 Exposition Blvd., Sacramento. Details:

www.sacfair.com

.