The carnival as seen from the Ferris wheel

The Mendocino County Fair and Apple Show happened a couple of weekends ago. I was really looking forward to the fair this year; I had entered a few items and our granddaughter was coming to visit that weekend as well. I had also planned to be out of town the week prior to the fair, something I hadn’t realized I had done until about two weeks before the fair. This meant that I wasn’t able to enter any baked goods this year and that I wasn’t able to volunteer with the Elder Home on Friday afternoon, where we usually pour our Witching Stick wines at their booth.

The weather was perfect for the fair this year. It did get pretty chilly in the evenings, but the days were lovely, warm but not hot. I didn’t get their until almost five PM on Friday evening. My husband was already there with a group of friends who were attending for the first time, former clients of mine who split their time between Oakland and Yorkville. We met up at the fire department booth, where they were giving out free popcorn. From there we went to the arts and crafts building because I wasn’t able to wait any longer to see how my entries had fared. I was very pleased to see that I had received blue ribbons on everything! I had entered canned tomatoes, pears and rhubarb, plus a baby blanket that I had crocheted.

Some of the vegetable and fruit entries.

From there we walked through the agriculture building, stopping to get corn dogs, then to the wool building and finally to the flower building, which was resplendent with yellow and red draping the tables and really brightening up the space. I was surprised the wool and fiber building was so empty this year - but I also am now wondering if the festival that was tied to that building was not happening this time? The other buildings and entries looked good, however. In particular, I was really enchanted by all the wheelbarrow gardens, large and small.

We walked up to the arena to check out the football game, which appeared to be a blow out. From there we headed back down to the animal pens and spent some time looking at pigs. I met a friendly 4-H member who was able to tell me about her pig and educated us all a little bit. Charming! I did not get her name or photo, but did get one of her pig.

We went back on Saturday around midday. Our granddaughter and her parents had left a little earlier but we were tied down with items at home. We met up with them and headed to the pony ride, which Rose had been waiting to do until we arrived. From there we looked through the arts and crafts room again, then Rose wanted to take part in the Cutest Show on Earth, something she had already done once that day; they have a cheetah costume and she is consumed with cheetah’s right now. So we sat in the shade and watched her and a few other kids perform what was in fact a pretty darn cute show. At that point we were all hungry, so we walked up to the grandstand and got the best burgers from the AV Fire Department. We sat in the stands, enjoying the view and the respite from the crowds while we ate. After that it was time for the rides. We started with the carousel, then the turtles and dragons. We followed this up with all of us going on the Ferris wheel. Rose then tried the dragon roller coaster and finished up with a last ride on the carousel, clearly the favorite for the day. At that point, now early evening, we decided we had done enough and it was time to head home.

We had planned to go back on Sunday, but we all woke up feeling like we had done enough for that weekend. Instead, we had a quiet morning at home, followed by some apple and huckleberry picking. The huckleberries are amazing this year, some almost as large at blue berries! We did that for an hour or so, which allowed us to stretch our legs at the same time.

Overall it was a lovely weekend. I felt the fair was well attended at the times we were there. It was great to see everyone again; I did not really attend last year, it was too soon after losing mom to enjoy myself. I loved seeing all the entries, all the colors and smells of the fair. I’m already planning what I will enter next ye

Mendocino County Fair 2023