Sacramentans hit the State Fair amid record-breaking heat Sunday
SACRAMENTO - It was a record-breaking day of heat in Sacramento on Sunday. The thermostat hit 109 degrees Fahrenheit, passing the previous records on this date.
It was opening weekend at the State Fair at Cal Expo.
"We managed to come during the hottest part of the day," said Eric Benson who was at the fair with his family.
Benson and his family arrived at the fair at around 1:00 p.m. and stayed well into the evening.
"We were inside the exhibits and then we would go see the farm animals where there was no cool air," said Benson. "Then we would go back inside. Then we would go back out."
It was too hot to handle for Justin Goss and his family.
"We were here for 45 minutes, and it is a wrap," said Goss. "We decided to come a little later even though it was the same amount of hot."
One man who has worked at the fair for nearly 20 years every summer, said this weekend was possibly the emptiest he has ever seen it.
Relief for many was just a scoop away at Leatherby's Family Creamery.
"We got some peppermint, cookies and crème," said one couple. "It has been really helpful."
The Bay Area couple made a quick stop driving back from Lake Tahoe for some ice cream.
"We had a little bit of a sunburn incident yesterday. Recovering from that and looking forward to the fog in the Bay," said Ellen Ingbritsen.
Inside was not ideal for some locations. PG&E's outage map showed thousands without power during the day and night. The utility was working to determine if the problems were caused by the heat.
In south Sacramento, the triple-digit day came with the reopening of Mangan Park with an upgraded playground and resurfaced pool.
One Sacramento city councilwoman said this playground was part of the city's mission of equity, providing low-income families another way to beat the heat.