126 years of Cloverdale Citrus Fair fun

The town of Cloverdale has been celebrating its long-gone citrus fruit industry since 1892. Click through our gallery of Cloverdale Citrus Fair fun and games over the years.|
JANET BALICKI WEBER
FOR THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

For 126 years, the Cloverdale Citrus Fair has been celebrating an agricultural enterprise that is now but a faint citrusy aroma.

Back at the turn of the 19th century, oranges and lemons were thriving in Sonoma County. The thermal belt that makes Cloverdale so warm and cozy in the summer was thought to be an ideal environment for tropical fruits. But a couple of successive frosts put an end to that idea, killing most of the commercial enterprises. The fair, which started in 1892, really celebrates history, attracting thousands of visitors yearly with towering fruit sculptures of everything from buildings to beasts.

This year’s Citrus Fair kicked off Friday and runs through Monday, rain or shine.

Janet Balicki Weber

UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:
  • This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone.
  • No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. No off-topic remarks.
  • No disinformation about current events.
  • We will remove any comments — or commenters — that do not follow this commenting policy.
Send a letter to the editor