Last-minute touches are being completed to make way for the Santa Cruz County Fair.
From food stands and floriculture to arts and collectibles, the entire fairgrounds is being charged up for their five-day run.
Donna Giubbini, Fine Arts and Poetry Department Head and Chair at the fairgrounds, said this year marks the largest display of art submissions, from kids’ art to professionals with well over 600 works being displayed in the Fine Arts Building.
The fair this year will include a nightly lighted drone show. But the entertainment does not stop there.
On Friday, Watsonville radio station KPIG will host Antsy McClain & The Trailer Park Troubadours, and on Saturday “Swifties” can check out the tribute group Red.
On Sunday, the Mexicali band Los Tiranos Del Norte will perform.
Fairgrounds General Manager Zeke Frazer said the fair is possible thanks to its volunteers.
“We could not do this annual fair without them,” he said. “They are the meat and potatoes of this fair. They volunteer at the exhibits, they make the exhibits and they enter into the exhibits. Without them we would just be another carnival. It really is what defines us.”
Ron Haedicke, Marketing Director for the Fairgrounds Foundation, said the recently planted “multi-color medley of petunias, and yellow and orange marigolds throughout the fairgrounds” have set a welcoming tone for the fair with the theme “Pioneer Days to Modern Ways.”
Haedicke said this year he helped reach out across the county to various schools in search of art submission.
“This is not the Watsonville Fair; it’s the Santa Cruz County Fair,” he said. “So we now have quite a wide selection of art from around the county.”
Farmers and home gardeners have worked all year. Bakers have perfected their recipes. Artists have submitted their work for public edification. Animals have been brushed and washed for judging.
With most of the pieces in place, with Santa Cruz County having given its best and with an army of volunteers that form the backbone of the event, the county fair is set to open on Sept. 11 through Sept. 15.
Don’t forget to check out the All Alaskan Racing Pigs.
Parking is free for carpools of five or more.
Visit santacruzcountyfair.com for a full schedule.
Todd Guild contributed to this story.
