The Santa Cruz County Fair, held on September 19, 20, and 21, succeeded despite downpours and puddles. There were new attractions, new records set, and lots of smiling kids and grown-ups who just had fun.
The Fair included a carnival for the first time in a while–and it was the perfect antidote for anyone who felt a little grumpy about the rain. It also added School Day, bringing kids to the Fair through an arrangement with County schools, who pre-bought carnival tickets and bussed students to the event for a school holiday on Friday.
4-H, which is really the heart of the fair, broke the record for the number of animals at the 4-H auction. 53 hand-raised critters went on the auction block and raised $141,000, of which $18,000 goes for 4-H scholarships. Marion Venditouli, who coordinates the entire weekend event, noted that Heidi Gonzalez and Amanda Zamudio made the 4-H events go off without a hitch.
Patagonia’s Lars Marshall put on the Got Talent Show, won by Lilly Guzman, of Sierra Vista. Allyson Lloyd, of Elgin, and Marin Tomlinson, of Sonoita topped the junior division and the duet of Hannah Young and Tavaniah Padilla, of Patagonia, finished in third place.
The bull riding had to be canceled and other events were rained out, but overall, says Vendituoli, this year’s fair was a success. She reports that many vendors sold out, the carnival would like to come back, and on her way home she started getting calls from people who wanted to volunteer for next year’s hundredth anniversary fair.
“That’s when I knew we’d done something special,” said the exhausted impresario.
She added that the rain may have even contributed to the strong sense of community that was present all weekend long.