Jumping Frog Jubilee & County Fair  May 16-19, 2013   Address: 101 Frogtown Road, Angels Camp, California frogtown.org

Angels Camp, Calif.-It's a Jumping Frog Contest and a Fair. Mostly it is a county fair for the County of Calaveras, but Jumping Frogs steal the show in Frogtown where the county fair is held on the outskirts on Angels Camp. The city of Angels Camp is known for Mark Twain and the Jumping Frog Contest. You can find a statue of Mark Twain, and gold plaques are spread on the downtown sidewalks to honor jumping frog winners of yearly contests held annually at the fair since 1928.

Calaveras County Fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee attract thousands upon thousands of people who come for simply old-fashioned fun.

Each year on the first day of the fair  Heritage Day celebrates the grand opening. A carnival with the midway, competitions, and Miss Calaveras Scholarship Pageant launch four days of fun. Forget anything else if you live in town, because this is where everyone will be during May just before school lets out for the summer.

If you decide to go, the hotel accommodations are somewhat slim during this biggest event of the year. You can try booking rooms in Angels Camp, Sonora, Murphys and other Gold Country destinations, but plan on driving to the event since lots of people visit and the limited hotel accommodations simply can't hand the large weekend crowds.

Here's a basic line up of events in recent years to give you a flavor of what you might see on each day of the County Fair:

Thursday's activities often include a 10 a.m. Kiddie's Parade – Downtown Angels Camp, Junior Horse Show, opening of the Frog Jump Entry Booth, Meet Tom & Becky, Story Time at Mark Twain Hall Stage, Kidd Fiddlers on Huck Finn's Lawn Stage and an Extreme Ranch Rodeo.

Friday's Extreme Excitement includes much of the same entertainment and lots of carnival rides and food booths with good stuff like funnel cakes and soft drinks. Saturday, Calaveras Cattlemen's Day, is the real rodeo and cowboy show with Western Horse Events in the Arena beginning at 8 a.m. Calf Branding, Ranch Roping, 2 Man Cattle Penning, Jr. 2 Man Cattle Penning, 3 Man Cattle, Penning and Real Ranch Cattle Penning all get the ball rolling on a big weekend with lots of food, fun, and crowds. In the morning the Qualifying Frog Jump begins and there's a yummy Cattlemen's BBQ at Cattlemen's Tent.

On Sunday, International Frog Jump Day, the gates open early at 7 a.m. Another Qualifying Frog Jump at Main Stage Area happens around 9 a.m. Around 3 p.m., the International Frog Jump Grand Finals commence. It's hard to come down from the mountain high and ecstasy that winning a frog jump contest can bring. So to finish off a perfect weekend, Destruction Derby in the Arena rounds out another year of great entertainment that draws tourists from around the world to see Calaveras County's unique event.

Angels Camp is well known for its annual event that celebrates author Mark Twain, with a Jumping Frog Jubilee each year at the local fairgrounds. Mark Twain look-alikes read from his fictional books, and the region swells to thousands of visitors who hear about and clamor for old-fashioned fun, such as entering their pet frog into the jumping competition.

Kids dress up like their favorite characters from Tom Sawyer novels and enter contests with prizes for their attire.

Angels Camp first paved its main street back in 1928 and every year since -- except 1933 during the great depression-- the Jumping Frog Jubilee has been held in Angels Camp. County Fair and the Jumping Frog Jubilee were combined in 1938.  There's a Frog Hop of Fame--The winner receives a trophy, cash prize and a plaque honoring the jockey and his or her frog is embedded into the sidewalks of downtown Angels Camp. World record holders receive special recognition. The world record is 21' 5 3/4".

Getting to Angeles Camp, California: 2 1/2 hours from the Bay Area on Highways 49 and 4. Approx. 2 hours South East of Sacramento.