Community Corner
Here Comes the Sonoma County Fair
Carnivals, livestock, music and more: It's all happening at the Fairgrounds, July 25 - August 12.
Midweek, midsummer, the Sonoma County Fair gets under way tomorrow. That kicks off 17 days of traditional family-oriented fun at Santa Rosa's Fairgrounds, at the intersection of Hwy. 12 and Hwy. 101, from July 25 through Aug. 12. Admission is only $10, children 7-12 for half price ($5), and younger kids free.
There's a giant carnival for all ages with $25 all-you-can-ride tickets, live horse racing every day of the Fair, two rodeos, the ever-popular Hall of Flowers, even Monster Trucks and headline concerts with country superstar Martina McBride, alt-rockers Third Eye Blind and more.
Here at Patch we'll be publishing several articles about upcoming events at the Sonoma County Fair over the next couple weeks. Best way to keep up-to-date with this site is to Like Us on Facebook, or Follow Us on Twitter. Then again, you can Sign up for E-mail Newsletters to get local news delivered to you daily or weekly.
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Although the official opening day is tomorrow, Wednesday July 25, there is the Hall of Flowers Grand Opening celebration tonight, Tuesday. They call it the "Bon Voyage Party" which is a funny name for an opening, but tickets (available at this link) are only $25 and proceeds go to fund scholarships for agricultural students.
Don't forget it's a County Fair, and agricultural and livestock events form the basis of the show, as they have for 76 years. The Junior Livestock Auction is one of the largest in the state. Fair time is the culmination of a year of hard work and dedication for 4-H, FFA and independent junior exhibitors, and only the best animals meet Junior Livestock Auction standards. Check out the Livestock schedule here.
Find out what's happening in Sonoma Valleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
New this year is “Greentivities”, an interactive and pertinent venue for both kids and adults. Greentivities offers fairgoers a chance to interact and experiment with state-of-the-art exhibits and demos from both local organizations and the popular Maker Faire, San Mateo’s annual two-day festival of invention and creativity. Greentivities is open from 11:00 am to 10:00 pm each day of the Fair in the Garden Building. More information here.
You can find the full schedule of Sonoma County Fair events on their website at this page. Gates are open daily from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. The fair is closed Mondays. For more information on all the features and events, go to www.sonomacountyfair.com or call (707) 545-4200.
