Diving Doggies

Need a good reason to trek up to the California State Fair in Sacramento? Here's one: Splash Dogs.

I can't think of anything more delightful than the sight of a pooch gleefully flying through the air and splash landing into a pool of water. So pack up the kids and camera and make plans to traverse our lovely state in search of these acrobatic water-loving pooches, who will be soaring off Dog Dock and into a 25-foot pool at the Cal Expo (1600 Exposition Blvd.) from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. this weekend (Aug. 21-23). It's a competitive event, so you can root for your favorite canine to see which one will jump out the farthest.

Of course, the fair is packed with all sorts of other excitement over the course of its run Aug. 21-Sept. 7. Climb aboard one of four rides that came from Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch or catch up on the history of sweets at Candy Nation, a sugary new exhibit. And, of course, you'll find rides, exhibits, concerts and animals of all shapes and varieties.

General admission to the fair is $10 ($6 for ages 5-12), you find all sorts of packages and deals (an all-day wristband for unlimited rides is $28). Parking is $10.

Taking Collections

I come from a family of collectors. My sister has a massive marble collection (here's an opportunity to note that no, she has not yet lost her marbles) as well as one for buttons, stamps and feathers. She has a pretty solid stash of floaty pens from various tourist spots. My mom has a massive china cup collection as well as enough monk- and nun-themed items to fill a monastery. I've tried to avoid catching the collecting bug and have managed to keep my trappings down to just a couple bobbleheads, some monkeys and a grouping of jackalopes.

What do you have dusting up your shelves? If you live in California, the folks at the California State Fair in Sacramento want to know. They are looking for California's strangest collections to possibly be displayed at this year's fair.

"No collection is too big or too small, but all collections should be extremely weird, wild or wacky," says State Fair CEO and General Manager Norb Bartosik in a press release. "Anything unusual is open for consideration. But we want to display the very strangest collections of ‘stuff' we can find." 

California collectors of all ages can contact the State Fair exhibits department via email (wackycollections@calexpo.com) or phone (916-263-3045) with a description of their collection, including quantity of items, size of display and current location. Digital images of the collection are accepted (email size limit 2MB). This year's fair is Aug. 21-Sept. 7 at Cal Expo in Sacramento.