Every year, in January, the lot outside the Southwest Meadows Sanctuary Park on Griffin Road is illuminated with blue and red lights flashing in every direction; it begins to blare with music and screams; and the air begins to smell of an uncertain mixture of corn, sweets, and burnt oil. This is the Southwest Ranches Country Fair. This year marks its fourth anniversary at the Meadows Sanctuary Park lot.
Brought to Southwest Ranches by Amusements of America, the fair ran from Thursday, January 16th until Monday, January 20th. Despite slightly rainy weather, the fair saw incredible attendance, especially on Saturday and Sunday nights, when the parking lot was nearly full.
The fair had the usual games, rides, and food stalls that it always did, although this year, it changed its lineup of activities slightly. Though there was no entry fee, each ride cost several tickets, which could be purchased for $1.50 at the front booth. However, for anyone wanting to ride more than five or six rides, it was far more cost-effective to simply purchase the $30 day pass.
The rides included the usual carnival attractions, like a round up Gravitron-type ride, a Ferris wheel, a rotating hang glider ride, a petting zoo, and a Shaker, but had lost a few from last year, notably the bumper cars. The loss of the bumper cars apparently weighed on the minds of the fair-goers, as complaints were audible at several points throughout the night.
All the rides were as enjoyable as usual, albeit a bit short. The hang glider ride soared easily forty to fifty feet into the air, with the Ferris wheel at a similar height, although the latter was mildly rusted. New additions included a mirror maze as well as a new trampoline attraction, both of which were quite high quality, with the mirror maze being surprisingly difficult to navigate.
The ride operators, per usual, were fun, especially when the crowds were thin. For instance, the operator on the Ferris wheel would tell riders to make sure to buckle their seatbelts before firing up the ride and laughing (there were no seatbelts to begin with). However, before anyone became too worried, he reassured everyone by saying: “If anyone had died on this ride, I’d be in jail!” before laughing.
When no one else was in line, he even let riders go multiple times over and over if they had a Day Pass. Other operators were helpful and friendly as well, defying their carnival worker stereotypes, stopping rides for scared children, and helping buckle visitors into their rides. It wasn’t just the attractions that were a focus, however.
The food was a central attraction to the fair, as is the case with most carnivals. From stalls selling fried Oreo sundae funnel cakes and fried butter on a stick to vendors selling gourmet empanadas, there were dozens of options. “Once you’re in the business, you get tips about where to go,” explained one ice cream truck vendor. “We’ve been [at the fair] about three or four years.” Other options included Mexican and Caribbean-inspired stalls, the Southern-style food truck business Rocked and Loaded, and the award-winning empanada vendor, Manka Fully Loaded Empanadas.
This marked the fourth year of the fair, which has been organized by teams of dedicated volunteers through the Southwest Ranches Parks Foundation, which was established back in 2009. If it continues as it has for the past half-decade, the fair should be back next year once again in January 2026. Although the rides may make you a bit dizzy, the Ferris wheel is moderately concerning, and you’d be charged $18 for a funnel cake, it’s one of the best experiences for a group of friends in the area to have some fun, just for a night.
