Free Day at the Fair! Some Changes This Year

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We are only 3 days away from The Fair!  Whoo hoo!

As many Fair Fans know, opening day of The Fair has a very special tradition thanks to Fred Meyer.  Not only is it the first day of The Fair, you can get in for free AND get a free pancake breakfast.  Score!

When I dropped by my local Fred Meyer a few days ago, I discovered they have changed the way they are doing things, so pay attention so you can be sure to get your free entry to The Best Day of the Year.

In order to get into The Fair on August 2 for free, you need to go to any Clark County Fred Meyer store.  Sidle up to the Customer Service Desk and ask the cashier for a Free Admission Pass to the Clark County Fair.  Do this soon – like today –  because I hear a few stores have already run out.

Here’s where things change from previous years:

You will now be asked to show your Fred Meyer Rewards Card.  They won’t necessarily scan it; they just want to verify that you are a Fred Meyer shopper.  If you don’t have a Rewards Card yet, sign up right away.  It is free and you can get discounts…like a free day at The Fair.

Then you will be asked how many passes you want.  In prior years, the limit was 10.  This year, the limit is 4.  Since my Rewards Card was not scanned, I assume if I had a large family, I could return another day and get four more tickets.  The cashier did not verify that, though, so if you give it a try, please let us know!

The passes also look different this year.  Instead of being a small piece of colored paper, they are now like business cards.  The back has a unique bar code which I assume will be scanned when we enter The Fair on Friday.  The cashier explained that in past years, people photocopied the passes and therefore Fred Meyer had no control over how many people showed up and how much food to prepare.

The final change this year is timing.  The free pancake breakfast is served from 8:00am to 11:00am.  It used to be that the free passes were only good until 11:00am.  This year, they are valid until noon.  So a whole extra hour to wait in line to get into the parking lot — yay!

I have to admit, I have never attended the free pancake breakfast; I just get into The Fair for free that morning.  My thought is, I can get pancakes any day but an elephant ear and a corn dog?  Much better use of my stomach space.  But I have friends who go to the pancake breakfast as tradition and they love it.

So whether you want a free breakfast or just want to get into Summer’s Best Party for free on Friday, August 2, make sure you get yourself to a Fred Meyer store, Rewards Card in hand, and snag your free passes.  And be sure to be parked and through an entry gate by 12:00pm.

See ya there!