Tribute to Petaluma's roots

Jack Fessler's bantam hen strutted inside a wire cage Tuesday at the Sonoma-Marin Fair, awaiting a health inspection and a shot at chicken glory.

Fessler, 15, and his sister Regina, 18, were entering 11 ducks and the Old English brown-red in today's poultry competition, a signature event in a town once known as the egg capital of the world.

"Hopefully, we'll have one or two that do well this year," Fessler said. "We've won champion bird a couple of times."

The fair opens today at noon, beginning a five-day run of livestock shows, farm exhibits, concerts and carnival rides.

Organizers will observe the city's 150th anniversary with displays of historic artifacts, including a 1930s incubator, a collection of black-and-white photographs and wooden carriages.

On Thursday local figures including Mayor Pamela Torliatt will participate in a mock game show called Petaluma Celebrity Feud, where contestants are quizzed on city history.

The rock band Smash Mouth takes the stage Friday night following the World's Ugliest Dog Contest, which has drawn international attention and coverage by the Animal Planet TV network.

The fair closes Sunday with a performance by 1980s New Wave band The Motels and a destruction derby.

Fair manager Patricia Conklin said fairs are much more than marquee bands or midway rides. It is the homespun exhibits and odd contests that capture the essence of a town and instill a sense of civic pride.

"You can walk into any town in California and see what makes the community tick," said Conklin, who was hired earlier this year after holding a similar post in Butte County.

Conklin predicted attendance, about 60,000 last year, could be down slightly with the economic downturn.

Adult admission is unchanged from last year at $14 and includes unlimited rides and musical shows. Conklin described it as a good deal compared with other fairs. A forecast of sunshine also could help the gate, she said.

Tickets for children 4 to 12 are $9. Kids 3 and under are free. Two events, the destruction derby and Luche Libre wrestling on Friday night, have additional entry charges.

The World's Ugliest Dog Contest, in its 20th year at the fair, continues to generate a buzz.

This year, Beth Ostrosky, fiancee of shock jock Howard Stern, will tape the Animal Planet segment. About a dozen hideous hounds will compete, including entrees from New Jersey and Texas.

"It's going to be a big media thing for sure," said Vicki DeArmon, the fair's marketing director.

Meanwhile, carnival workers erected rides Tuesday under a burning sun, and concessionaires stocked up on staples such as corn dogs and beer.

Harry Mason, owner of the Oroville-based Midway of Fun carnival company, said rising fuel prices were taking a bite out of profits. Over the five days, he'll spend $25,000 to power diesel generators and big-rig trucks.

"See that plume of diesel smoke coming from that generator over there?" he said. "That's 30 bucks."

Regina Fessler and her brother waited in line with a dozen other poultry owners while inspectors checked their birds for disease.

Animal contests are a tradition for the Fesslers, and the start of the fair is exciting, she said.

"Everybody's coming in," said Fessler as a nearby duck flapped its wings in protest. "We see people we haven't seen in a year."

You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 762-7297 or paul.payne@pressdemocrat.com.