TURLOCK, Calif. — Flying toilets are the norm every summer during the Stanislaus County Fair's motorhome derby, and it seems only natural that it aroused the curiosity of actor Jeff Goldblum.
Goldblum, known for his roles in Jurassic Park and Thor: Ragnarok, stopped by the fair's motorhome derby in July for his new show, then referred to as "The Curiosity of Jeff Goldblum."
While the show is now streaming as "The World According to Jeff Goldblum," the highlight on the derby remained and debuted on Dec. 27.
It's a bright spotlight on a local crowd-pleaser. Tyler Flaherty, a member of the Turlock Lions Club that organizes the show, shared all the things that Turlocker's have known about this popular derby for years.
1. The motorhome derby is relatively recent idea
Destruction derbies at the Stanislaus County Fair are nothing new. They've been around since 1976 with the help of the Lions Club.
“Over the years, it got very, very popular to the point where we would have to turn away cars," said Flaherty. "In the last 20 years,… the amount of cars available has dwindled greatly."
The idea to use motorhomes popped up six or seven years ago and has been around every year since.
2. The derby drivers include anyone from local businesses to churches
It doesn't matter if you're a pro or an amateur. The derby takes drivers from as many walks of life as they can.
It's part of the reason the show continues to sell out every year, according to Flaherty. So, there's a slight chance your local church will be wreaking havoc on others when they're behind the wheel at the derby, and they probably won't be going easy on you.
“Once that horn blows and those guys take off, they’re (drivers are) not stopped unless there’s a safety issue if anybody’s behaving improperly,” said Flaherty.
3. It is the main event for a good reason
A motorhome isn't necessarily built for the rigors of a destruction derby.
“Those things cause a huge mess. It takes a lot of clean up time,” Flaherty said.
The heats take anywhere between 10 minutes to 20 minutes, but clean up takes a bit longer. Club members use excavators and some heavy equipment to get things cleaned up for the next day.
"The quirkiness is certainly there," said Flaherty. "You can hear the crowd erupt when they see a television or a toilet fall out of one of those RVs.”
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4. Jeff Goldblum was there well before the show and well after it ended
It almost goes without saying, but Goldblum's visit to the derby and the derby's highlight on the Disney+ show is exciting for the club
Goldblum even got to ride in the parade lap for the derby. It was solid gesture from the crew to the actor, who couldn't have been more cordial with his visit.
Flaherty said Goldblum was at the county fair well before the show started and well after clean up was done.
He even spent some time with the Lions Club and took a group photo with them before leaving.
“He was a really dynamite guy. He was very nice, very cordial and very gracious…,” said Flaherty.
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