Sonoma County Fair returns in August for 87th outing with Jurassic Jubilee theme

The Sonoma County Fair is returning in full swing this August, with roller coasters and carnival rides, horse racing, arts and craft competitions and its popular Hall of Flowers exhibit.

Last month, fair organizers announced the theme for this year’s fair: Jurassic Jubilee, a theme they landed on after reviewing more than 350 slogan idea entries from the public.

“It’s a family-fun theme that ties into the youth of the community, and adults like it as well,” said Matthew Daly, chief operating officer for the Sonoma County Fairgrounds.

The 87th annual Sonoma County Fair will run Aug. 3-13.

To go with the theme, the Hall of Flowers will feature 10 life-size animatronic dinosaurs from Imagine Exhibitions, an Atlanta-based company that produces educational exhibits at zoos, museums, science centers and other venues. The dinosaurs will be surrounded by plants, ponds and waterfalls that match the prehistoric theme.

The horticultural exhibition is being designed by Greg Duncan, who has led the design for the Hall of Flowers for more than 30 years.

Duncan and his crew begin by painting, building props and creating a backdrop for the Hall of Flowers exhibition. Last year, that meant installing giant Tiki gods and building a surf shop for the fair’s Tropical Fairadise theme.

As the fair gets closer, local professional and amateur gardeners, landscapers and landscape designers will help bring the exhibition to life by building ponds and waterfalls and other structures to showcase beautiful and unique flowers.

Though the life-size robot dinosaurs are expected to be the main attraction, the Jurassic theme will carry throughout the fairgrounds, Daly said.

Also new this year will be a Jurassic adventure zone for children to play in, featuring plenty of prehistoric-themed games and activities.

The fair also will bring back several concerts a day on the Park stage, a youth garden exhibit, live entertainment and lots of favorite fair foods.

For more information or to buy tickets to the Sonoma County Fair, go to bit.ly/3yXgrnB.