Sonoma-Marin Fair opens with new attractions, old favorites

Thousands of butterflies and some very ugly dogs are converging on Petaluma this week for the Sonoma-Marin Fair, which opened its five-day run Wednesday.

Now in its 82nd year, the celebration of community, tradition and craftsmanship draws more than 60,000 annual attendees. Among the new attractions are a large selection of games and puzzles, an interactive exhibit with about 2,000 painted lady butterflies and four new carnival rides.

Themed “Beyond the Milky Way,” the fair also features staples, including livestock, free ice cream from Clover Sonoma and interactive agricultural exhibits, where kids and adults alike can milk an artificial cow, muck a stall and pet farm animals.

“With the whole ‘grown local’ and ‘buy local’ (movement), I really think fairs are ‘play local,’?” said CEO Allison Keaney, a Novato resident and former 4-H community education specialist who took her post in March. “It’s like the best part of your backyard. Eating local and shopping local starts with understanding your local agriculture.”

For Cotati’s Alan Companey, who brought his 5-year-old grandson to the same fair he’s been enjoying since the 1950s, the tradition is a special one.

“It’s camaraderie - it brings everyone together,” the 71-year-old said as his grandson enjoyed an ice cream cone with his favorite flavor, vanilla.

Ryan McDonald, a 13-year-old 4-H member, said the fair is a chance to show off his prized animals.

“I get to tell people about how you milk the cows and how they grow,” he said as he stood in the deep hay near his three bovines.

The fair includes a bustling midway, with games and the new Minion Mayhem Fun House. Food booths boast offerings from cotton candy and mini doughnuts to samosas and corn dogs.

The lineup of concerts, which kick off nightly at 8 p.m., started with pop vocal group En Vogue Wednesday. They will be followed by county act Clay Walker Thursday and rock groups 38 Special Friday and Smash Mouth on Saturday.

The series ends Sunday with Fiesta Latina from 3 to 7 p.m., featuring Grupo Los Sagitarios, Hechiceros Band, Banda La Congora and Groupo Creativos De Tierra Caliente.

On Saturday, the World’s Ugliest Dog contest features about ?15 canines at 6 p.m.

Exhibit halls offer a variety of projects, such as quilts, fine arts and crafts.

The fairgrounds also acted as a temporary evacuation center during October’s fires, housing about? 300 people, 350 animals and countless donations, Keaney said.

“So many people gathered here during the fires. ... This is a great opportunity for the community to come back under much more fun circumstances,” said Jeff James, the board of director’s first vice president.

Concerts and carnival rides are free with the price of admission. Thursday those 65 or older get into the fair for $6, while Friday offers $15 admission for law enforcement and fire personnel, and active or reserve military members with a government ID. Tickets are $18 for adults over 13, $12 for seniors 65 and over, $12 for kids 12 and under, and free for those under 4. Parking is $5.

You can reach Staff Writer Hannah Beausang at 707-521-5214 or hannah.beausang@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @hannahbeausang.