Like a five-day whirlwind of entertainment, the Solano County Fair returns Wednesday to the fairgrounds in Vallejo, offering nonstop, family-friendly music, rides, food and more.

But if you want to take advantage of early ticket discounts, there’s little time to spare — the deadline is Tuesday.

“Advance tickets can be purchased through midnight July 28,” fair media representative Debbie Egidio said. “By purchasing tickets in advance, fairgoers save $5 per carnival unlimited ride wristband, and $2 per adult, child and senior tickets off the regular on-site prices during the fair.”

Egidio pointed out that military veterans also will receive a special discount admission of $6 every day of the fair, but only for on-site ticket purchases at the main gate during the fair.

Among the highlights at this year’s Solano County Fair:

• The fair will have its traditional Midway, where fairgoers can ride the Scrambler, Tilt, Viper and Tornado, among other rides.

• The Family Fun Zone will feature plenty of activities, including crafts and activities, or the First 5 Solano Giant Sandbox, where kids can dig around to find gems they can redeem for prizes.

• The Livestock Barn will feature a menagerie that includes cattle, sheep, goats, rabbits and poultry that have been entered for judging. There also will be pony rides and a petting zoo.

• The Expo Hall will give fairgoers the opportunity to see the County and Cities Expo, where each of Solano County’s cities are represented, including Benicia, along with vendors, classic cars and cooking demonstrations. “There will also be an original Batmobile and an early Jeff Gordon race car on display,” Egidio said.

• For those who want to indulge their artistic sides, McCormack Hall will feature fine arts and photography exhibits, flowers and horticulture exhibits and competitive arts and crafts exhibits.

• The Fairgrounds’ concert venue has a newly redesigned Galaxy Stage, which pays homage to the C-5 Galaxy, which is a large military transport aircraft.

• Every night a different band will headline on the Galaxy Stage: The Dazz Band July 29 at 8 p.m.; Con Funk Shun July 30 at 8 p.m.; Yesterday — The Beatles Tribute Band July 31 at 8 p.m.; Journey Revisited August 1 at 8 p.m.; Los Canarios de Michoacan with Banda La Grande de Jalisco and Los Tremendos de Mexico August 2 beginning at 6 p.m.

• This year the Mad Hatter Parade joins the Solano County Fair on July 31. The parade traditionally takes place in Vallejo on the first Saturday of December.

“The parade will be almost three blocks long with many of the favorite Wonderland Characters and mobiles: the Cheshire Cat, Lion King, Queen of Hearts, the Duchess, and the Mad Hatter will all come out of the rabbit hole and onto the Fairgrounds at Tea Time (6 p.m.),” Hatter producer Matt Malifrando wrote in an email to The Herald.

• For those who enjoy entertainment of a more destructive nature, the fair will feature a Demolition Derby, scheduled to take place Aug. 1 at 2:30 p.m., that will include a stock vehicles division and a truck division.

Because the event is so popular and expected to sell out, Egidio recommended purchasing tickets in advance. Tickets are $25 and include free fair admission, she said.

The fair is taking advantage of social media this year with the Twitter hashtag #MeetMeAtSCFair. Its Twitter account is @SCFair. The fairgrounds also will have six designated “selfie spots” for fairgoers to post to their Facebook pages; the fair also has its own Facebook page and blog, both of which can be found by going to its main website, SCFair.com.

If you go:
The Solano County Fair runs from July 29 through Aug. 2 at the Solano County Fairgrounds, 900 Fairgrounds Drive, Vallejo. For more information and to purchase advance tickets, visit SCFair.com.