The Anderson Valley History Museum has issues of the Anderson Valley Advertiser going back to the 1950s and forward into the early 1980s. When I want to get a picture of how things have changed, Sandra Nimmons, Docent-Coordinator, allowed me to come in and read the old papers.
Every time I do this I am amazed by how different life was then from what we now experience. Those who have lived here their entire lives, particularly the older people, must feel blind-sided by the changes.
As the Mendocino County Fair and Apple Show is coming up to its 100th Anniversary I decided to read papers from the “Fair” issues of the early 1960s and 1970s as the 1950s era has been covered in previous columns.
In 1960 the AVA was a very robust newspaper with many large format pages, loads of local news, articles, and a surprisingly large number of ads. Advertisers obviously felt like they would reach their customers effectively by appearing in the “Fair” issue which was stuffed with ads saluting the Fair and wishing readers a wonderful time at the Fair.
Some of the ads included; Boonville Rx Drug, Philo Market, Woolgrowers of AV, Eversole Mortuary, Boonville Laundromat, J.D. Farrer Log and Lumber, Mill Creek Lumber, Charles Remanufacturing, I.&C Lath Mill, Philo Lumber and Apple Growers: Earl Clark, M.C. Gowan and Son, Johnnie Williams, Archie Schoenahl, Leona Nunn, John W. Peterson, Arthur Gowan, H.J. (Harwood) June, Frank Guntly and Grover Williams.
The Fair was described “with an engaging flavor unique to itself… a piquant flavor; in Boonville in the beautiful Anderson Valley.” “Judging the myriad exhibits from apples to wool mirrors the varied pursuits followed in Mendocino County.” An eye-opening detail by then-fair manager Dick Winkler mentions that exhibits are being offered more than $37,000 in cash premiums (in 1960s dollars). Holy-moly! How much would that be in today’s dollars? I don’t think the 2024 fair will be able to offer that amount of incentive.
Two government leaders took the time to send good wishes to Mendocino county. Assemblyman Frank P. Belotti (1967-1973) wrote, “Fairs belong to the people, everyone who attends either as an exhibitor or spectator makes a contribution to the prosperity and well-being of the community.” Governor Edmund G. Brown (Jerry’s dad), shared, “Your state officials send greetings to the Mendocino County Fair and Apple Show. This state is foremost in the nation in the number and variety of outstanding award exhibitions of agricultural and industrial wealth which are fundamentally educational in scope and intent.”
A photo of three well-known locals was captioned, “It looks like a couple of tough guys have this city interloper where they want him as Jack Clow and Walt Tuttle lay down the law to Emil Rossi in the Boont Towne Players production of “The Wild West” scheduled for Sunday afternoon at the Fair.” Photo by Earlene Merriman.
There was more of everything in those days. The program included two days of Vaudeville Shows portraying the county in miniature, two nights of dancing including the Queen’s Ball and crowning, two days of Rodeo and Horseshows including real cowboys and 4H and FFA, with the Sheep Dog Trials, Junior Livestock Auction and Parade on the final day. About the sheep dog trials, “Artful dodgers and featherfoots of the range will square off. This will be the sheepdog trials with some of the Redwood Empire’s top dogs in competition.” Rodeo action included, First go-round cutting horses, extended trail horses ridden by a lady, local speed and handiness, bareback bronc riding and Brahma Bull riding.
To top off this trip down memory lane. Charmian Blattner’s AVA column called “Valley Log” wrote her 1970 description in anticipation. “The Fair is a wonderful time and place to go to and those who attend each year find it is more than a physical trip to a very entertaining event. It is ‘coming home’ to many who lived here in years past. It is meeting friends whom you may not have glimpsed for the past year or years. It is an invitation to your senses…to hear the chatter of voices…the heartbreaking tunes of the merry-go-round. The friendly interchange of ‘baaings and mooings’ between the animals. The excited greetings, the blare of the rodeo announcer. The scents of nostalgia, the odor of bright juicy red apples like nothing else in the world. The delicious mingling of hamburgers and onions, saddle leather of parade animals, and the sweaty horsey odor that accompanies it. And the thousand and one other evidences that once again the fair is here!”
Mike Pardee wrote a history of the Fair in the early 2000s that has lots of long forgotten details concluding, “It has grown. But it has lost none of its spontaneous charm, its warm-hearted appeal and the neighborliness that marked its beginning.” Click on this link to view the entire fascinating Fair history: https://theava.com/archives/251050
An interesting postscript is this plea from the 1960 Fair Issue of the AVA that is ever more relevant today, “Lumber production began in California in 1843, since then fire has burnt more timber than has been made into useful wood products ‘Keep the Redwood Region Green’.”
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