Buckle up, everyone. We’re going to Redmond, where the ever-popular, ever-growing buffet of entertainment that is the Deschutes County Fair & Rodeo begins Wednesday.

Slather on the sunscreen!

Prepare to part ways with your cash on the midway!

Gird your stomach for mass quantities of corndogs, corn on the cob and kettle corn! Also, foods that don’t involve corn!

OK, that’s our off-the-cuff advice. The real expert is Ross Rogers.

Rogers is marketing coordinator for the fair, celebrating its 95th year with the theme, “Sew it, Grow it and Show it.” When we talked to him, he asked that fairgoers keep one thing in mind (besides having fun, that is): Arrive early. That’s a good rule of thumb for most appointments in life, but when you’re trying to get to, say, a Pat Benatar or a Josh Turner concert — along with most everyone else driving on Airport Way — getting there early goes from good idea to undeniably great.

There’s a saying around the fairgrounds, Rogers said: “We say, ‘You can only put so much water through a hose.’”

Traffic starts getting bad around the fairgrounds at about 5 p.m., so fair, rodeo and/or concert attendees should aim to arrive well before that, Rogers said.

“Our doors open at 5:30 for the concerts and the rodeo,” he said.

“People wait until the 11th hour a lot, and then they’re mad at us because traffic’s snarled. You just need to come early … there’s only two ways in and out.”

Speaking of the fair’s four free concerts, if you don’t yet have tickets, you should read the story above to see what you’ll be missing, and why.

Last year’s fair saw about 248,000 people pass through the gates. Rogers said the fair grows each year, and this time around, more than 200 vendors will be on hand. There are 80 indoor vendor booths, a fixed number.

Outside, however, Rogers has been squeezing in more booths wherever he can.

“Outside, we are 110 percent sold out. I’ve been taking vendors that have been calling in the last week or two and just putting them in brand new spots where we’ve never had vendor booths before,” he said. “We never want to turn down anybody, so we’ll just find new room for them.”

Some new features will be seen on the lawn in front of the Beef Barn, which in the last few years “was smothered with RVs,” Rogers said. “We’ve kind of built a brand new amusement area on the Beef Barn lawn.”

The RVs are not coming back this year, he said.

“That’s where the strong man competition will be, with the feats of strength,” Rogers said. “The camel rides will be there. The climbing wall will be there. A go-cart round-and-round course will be there for the young ones. And also a laser tag arena will be there.”

The camel rides are new this year, courtesy of Dustin’s Top Notch Camel Rides, based in Yoncalla.

“We have something new every year,” Rogers said. “Not only can you see the camels — because a lot of people are curious about those animals; you don’t see too many around Central Oregon — you can actually ride them.”

Besides taking a ride on a dromedary, or one-hump camel, you can of course go for plenty of spine-tingling thrill rides in the carnival area. On Wednesday, riders can take advantage of 30 percent off all the rides all day, from 11 a.m.-10 p.m., with no coupon necessary. On Aug. 1, all carnival games are just $2 from open to close.

On Aug. 3, the last day of the fair, $25 will get you all the rides you can stomach, a free game and a buck off any food item in the carnival.

Other fair highlights include Wednesday’s Talent Show, taking place on the Eberhard’s Food Court Stage. From noon-3 p.m., up to 24 music, juggling, dance and other entertainment acts will compete, with four of them winning $150. These four will also perform again on Aug. 2.

Don’t forget the rodeo, which starts with a pre-show at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday through Aug. 2. This year’s grand marshal is Jerry Bannon, and Maddie Smith is the Deschutes County Fair & Rodeo queen.

After the rodeo on Aug. 1 and 2, scoot your boots at the Rodeo Dance. At 10 a.m. Aug. 2, the rodeo parade gets going in downtown Redmond.

Even the weather looks good for the fair, Rogers said, with predicted highs in the upper 70s and low 80s.

“Looking at AccuWeather, it’s looking like it’s going to be great weather,” Rogers said. “This is probably going to be the biggest fair we’ve ever had.”

— Reporter: 541-383-0349, djasper@bendbulletin.com