Well, of course, it was the judges' 'pick'

Anybody who suspects there's nothing new at this year's Sonoma County Fair needs, at least, to go see what Scott Weaver has made.

It's the masterpiece among the arts and crafts in the Kraft Building, just inside the Brookwood gate. It won Best of Show; it's amazing.

Scott, a Rohnert Park resident and supermarket produce man with time on his hands since he injured a knee, has created a 9-foot-tall sculpture of San Francisco Bay scenes, attractions and landmarks.

There's the Golden Gate Bridge, Muir Woods, Humphrey the humpback whale, the Ferry Building and on and on -- all made of glued-together toothpicks.

It's most fun when Scott, 48, inserts yellow ping-pong balls that roll through the toothpick sculpture along several "tour routes."

Scott, a restlessly creative sort known also for his astonishing Christmas displays, was maybe 14 when he began making elements of the piece. He was able to finish it this year because his injury allowed him to spend hours a day on it.

He figures he's put 3,000 hours of labor and 100,000 toothpicks into it. It's called "Rolling Through the Bay," and it's just the sort of thing a real county fair is all about.

WAY BEYOND 'BAM!': As we left a Sunday matinee at the Roxy, my 18-year-old son and I discovered we weren't left feeling exactly the same about the mega-blockbuster "The Dark Knight."

But we both imagined that the moviegoers who brought young kids to the film the New York Times' reviewer called "suffocatingly dark" probably wished they'd opted for "Get Smart" or "Space Chimps."

The late actor Heath Ledger was very good and, oh boy, his Joker is bad. We give two thumbs down to the idea of taking little ones.

OUT FROM THE WOODS: It's like a box of chocolates, the annual Monte Rio variety show that draws celebrities from the Bohemian Grove. Monte Rio never knows what it's going to get.

But there's talk along the lower river that pretty big names will perform at Thursday's benefit show, which gets going at 7 p.m. at the Monte Rio amphitheater.

Tickets are $20 or $25, and the Monte Rio Recreation & Park District (www.mrrpd.org) knows all the particulars.

THE GRAFFITI SUMMIT: If you plan to check out anti-tagging tactics and technology at the big graffiti conference coming to the Flamingo Hotel, don't go this Thursday and Friday.

Santa Rosa's first major Graffiti Tradeshow and Conference (norcalgraffiti.com) is not this week but next, July 31 and Aug. 1. My bad.

About 300 far-flung police officers and tagging experts will share what works against vandals who find glory in scrawling on others' property.

DEIRDRE'S PARK: But by all means, do take the kids to the semi-secret park at the base of Warm Springs Dam.

The park and playground make up the Deirdre McCormick Memorial Play Area. It's named for the sparkling, 10-year-old Windsor girl who was swimming alongside the dock at Lake Sonoma Marina when she touched a faulty conduit and was electrocuted 10 years ago this week.

Last Saturday, her large Irish-American family honored her at a picnic at the park. Her dad, Marty McCormick, said he has believed in heaven all the more since Deirdre has been there.

Chris Smith is at 521-5211 and chris.smith@pressdemocrat.com.