News | Business

It's a Wild Ride and Other Fun at Sonoma County Fair

A cool breeze brought families out Wednesday for bull riding, music, livestock, the flower show, horse racing and carnival rides.

Posted by Julie Pendray (Editor), July 25, 2012 at 10:39 pm

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Sonoma County Fair officially opened Wednesday, with the theme of "Cruise on in and enjoy 17 days of fun."

The fair will run through Aug. 12, but will be closed Mondays. Gates are open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. For a list of events, click here.

This is our initial gallery from Santa Rosa Fairgrounds. We'll add to it throughout the day.

The Sidewalk Procession from Santa Rosa Wednesday Night Market (4th and E streets) will begin at 7 p.m. and continue to the fairgrounds.

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Mayor Ken Brown-Man Of the People?

That certainly was the case back in 1999. Remember? In more recent times he has frittered away…

Opinion May 22, 2013 at 03:38 pm

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Ralph Hutchinson May 22, 2013 at 03:43 pm

Mayor Ken Brown followed his crony Steve Page of Infineon Raceway into the fray of the Measure C…Read More Hospital Eminent Domain snatch and he's following Darius Anderson Mr. "Cows Not Casinos" from his 2003 defeat. Will Ken pull out before he crashes and burns? All indications show he's stuck in the tractor beam of payoffs and gifts from The Candy Man Darius Anderson. I think we've lost him...For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?

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Ralph Hutchinson May 22, 2013 at 08:49 am

Sonoma City Mayor Ken Brown. Perhaps the headline should clarify for those who aren't in tune with…Read More Ken. He is famous like Madonna, Prince and others with just their first name but...he's on his way out I suspect after this blunder so close to Measure C Hospital Eminent Domain failure on the Leveroni Road Dairy Farm takeover led by his crony Steve Page of Infineon Raceway. And to think the dynamic duo are teaming up again with their new sidekick Darius Anderson who himself is 0-1 with Cows Not Casinos. What a bunch of "losers" backing causes with a snowballs chance in Hell. When will these cronies learn the People still control Sonoma Valley. We haven't all sold out to the elitists.

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Ralph Hutchinson May 22, 2013 at 08:42 am

We've blogged his conflicts of interest, how many City Council or Mayors have a radio show platform…Read More to dispense their agenda? Ken has Gary Magnani the American Legion Commander on the show regularly and Gary is a card carrying founding member of Protect Sonoma? Ken took Gary to the Darius party at his Kenwood Ranch for Dianne Feinstein according to Kathleen Hill's gossip column so we know Ken and Gary are "toadies" for Darius taking his gifts. Ken already said in the Press Democrat he wouldn't be supporting the Preserving Sonoma initiative in not so many words. This is a big deal in Sonoma. Bill Hammet needs a Hail Mary as owner/operator of the radio and TV stations. He is under immense pressure by the banks who already foreclosed on the real estate to make major changes to the operations. Ken Brown is a "Franchise Player" with Good Morning Sonoma and Stan Pappas and many of the others in and around the show "beholden" to him for favors and doing Ken favors in exchange for coverage and Council favors. I mean think about it, Ken was at the healm the last 7+ years and the radio has been tanking, why would you keep the guy in that took the radio station down? Gotta fire the Leadership and get a new coach. I can't figure out why the Heck you keep around somebody like that though that's gonna be bad blood infecting anything new you try a recipe for disaster. In the corporate world you cut clean. Hammet is a good guy but this is another example of his weak leadership from a business perspective. He probably felt sorry for Ken since he pays him in the neighborhood of $10,000 a year out of the Common Bond fund as disclosed on Ken's political paperwork. Not to worry, My prediction....Darius and Bolling get Ken a paid column at the Index Tribune and he becomes an official spokesman for the Hotel while sitting as Mayor. Its ok cause under the ETHICS RULES OF DARIUS....everything is peachy keen and conflicts of interest are fine as long as you line the personal pockets of your owners. Pay to Play. Cows Not Casinos.

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Publisher and Editor BOLLING coyly plays hide & seek…

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sal nero May 21, 2013 at 03:47 pm

I love Larry's response in the above I-T link's comments. He illustrates how a cute turn of a phrase…Read More by Bolling here and there add up to journalistic bias and an effort to shade reality. Did I say shade because I meant lie so much as to ape Charles Foster Kane (Citizen Kane) ! The Hotel Index-Tribune. Yellow Journalism for the modern age.

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Ralph Hutchinson May 21, 2013 at 09:28 am

Bolling is a liar, many of the grassroots effort including myself have written Letters to the Index…Read More Tribune. He declares he won't print anything I write documenting a personal bias. I know of several others. There are Letters lying on the floor and jammed into the online upload tool the Index Tribune is not running. Period. Its one-sided because they are all sell-outs and conflicted. Everybody knows it. Its absolutely hilarious when he does write like he did in today's IT burying an Op-Ed piece under some Minidoka title because it only shows his true colors and shows the rest of the Valley how deparate he really is. The more be makes his declarations, the sillier he looks. Go ahead Bolling, keep digging your hole. The whole Valley is watching and frankly, this story might get regional or National news before the election so you will be famous as a bush-league wanna be journalist of a crony operation in a corrupt town which you helped create with your newspaper.

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sal nero May 21, 2013 at 09:24 am

Has ANYONE (including all partners) at the Hotel Index-Tribune taken the "NO CASINO"…Read More pledge ? Nope. Not a one. Has anyone taken a "Defense of the Developmentally Disabled" pledge to keep them at SDC rather than put them into the general population? NOPE! After 35 Hotel Index-Tribune articles the reason is pretty clear isn't it ? Using the situation at SDC to gain leverage for personal profit is contemptible and SICK !

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sal nero May 21, 2013 at 01:09 pm

The UFC's owners are the Fertitta Bros., Station Casino's owners. They bought it for $1MM in 2001.…Read More Station filed for bankruptcy a couple of years ago on the Casino business part of the empire wiping out shareholders. The UFC was under this other shell and the profits have continued rolling in. Yeah, yeah I know its aaaaall legal. Remember Leon Shahinian? The Calpers guy who went to Darius' house and then a MMA bout with either Darius or Kirk (he couldn't recall which)? http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/money_co/2010/08/darius-anderson-under-scope-of-calpers-pension-probe.html Birds of a feather...

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Ralph Hutchinson May 21, 2013 at 11:49 am

Flights, fight tickets, rooms and food in exchange for votes? More examples of quality ethics like…Read More those practices creeping into Sonoma Valley courtesy of Darius Anderson and his Pay to Play tactics.

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Looks like Comments have been returned to past Blogs and Posts. Thanks Patch tech, you rock!

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We need a graphic poll and it needs to stay up on the front page for a week to get a good read.…Read More Things scroll down out of sight too often especially important topics. Other Patch articles seem to stay up for days. Can you lock it in this time?

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The Sonoma Sun's website (but not SunFMTV) has been down for hours. What's happening ?

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Ralph Hutchinson May 15, 2013 at 03:25 pm

Did Darius Anderso agree to buyout The Patch and have the archives and comments removed as part of…Read More this new software update? Afterall "Cows Not Casinos", Measure A Rosewood Hillside hotel, and Measure C Hospital Eminent Domain would be better if the People of Sonoma forgot all about it and let his hotel venture fly easier.

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sal nero May 15, 2013 at 03:20 pm

When Bolling "lost" his comments on Sonoma Valley Bank and then the whole archive he…Read More blamed a glitch yet they have never been restored. That has benefitted the Hotel Index-Tribune and allowed a cover up of key historical dates and facts. Please hurry and restore the Patch's missing blogs and comments ASAP so that the confidence the Sonoma Patch has attained is not damaged. Thanks

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Dee Baucher May 18, 2013 at 08:50 am

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