Loving The Mendocino County Fair & Apple Show

This year was the 100th Anniversary of the Mendocino County Fair and Apple Show. For 100 years people have been visiting the Boonville fairgrounds and feasting their senses. Some people love France and they are Francophiles, some people love books and they are Bibliophiles; others love fairs and it is fair to say (no pun intended) that makes them Fairophiles. And what is there not to love? Color, lights, action, lively people, naughty food, rides, rodeos, sweet new babies, live animals, beautiful plants and flowers, and mildly intoxicating beverages! Yes, it is all there.

Particularly wonderful is the people watching. Those old enough will remember that Art Linkletter had a program on early TV called “People Are Funny” and boy are they. Sit on a bench watching the world roll by during the Fair. For sure you will see lots of strollers pushed by proud parents. Bands of teen-aged girls in skimpy summer clothes are closely followed by bands of admiring young boys. You’ll see couples of all ages holding hands. Kids sail by with their fair-bought new toys, things like battery-powered bubble blowers and giant inflatable Martians.

Old people in wheelchairs roll by pushed by care giving family members. There are smiles for miles and occasional weeping and wailing from babies and too-tired toddlers. Onlookers can’t help but fill their hearts with wonder at all the different things people can do and be. Few American towns have a current tradition of promenading around a square or downtown to give each other the eye. Once a year in Boonville we can all get our fill of checking each other out. It is fun and sweet and just so right somehow. It is reassuring to see how much kids have grown and adults have matured — some have even aged! There is continuity to this yearly ritual that fills a real need.

All this is made possible because our tiny fair staff and fair board put together this “little fair that could.” Also many volunteers give their time, energy and creativity to make the fair what it is. Without the staff (including the Fair Board), the volunteers, and (let us not forget) the vendors, there would be no fair. There are always things that could be done more efficiently or logically but that is really not the point. Given the resources that this small Fair has it is nothing less than a miracle that it offers so many different things and ultimately so much to enjoy.

As a true Fairophile, I have been to many fairs in California and this fair is the warmest, safest, welcoming-est, and most old-fashioned (in a good way) of them all. Corporate America does it differently (Disneyland, Six Flags, etc.) and that definitely has its place in the scheme of things. But for some the pace, goodwill and down home funkiness of the Mendocino County Fair and Apple Show suits just fine.

For a detailed description of what was seen this year through the eyes of one fair lover, one who attended all three days of the fair and was involved in some of the set up and tear down, tune in next week.

For now it’s just a message of appreciation going out to all those who made the 100 Year Anniversary of the Mendocino County Fair and Apple Show what it was: a truly joyful chance for us all to come together. Thank you.