Sonoma County Fair to return July 28 with downsized ’Summer Fun Fest’

In another sign this summer could see some return to normalcy in the North Bay, the Sonoma County Fair is set to open its gates in July, albeit as a slightly smaller event and under a different name.

This year’s “Summer Fun Fest” will run from July 28 to Aug. 8 at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa. (The event will be closed Aug. 2 and Aug. 3)

The pandemic forced organizers last year to call off the fair for the first time since World War II. Officials also had expressed uncertainty that an event was possible this summer. But with local vaccination rates increasing and the state set to lift most COVID-19 restrictions on June 15, officials decided to move ahead with a modified version of the county’s marquee festival.

“I’m really looking forward to being able to produce a fair,” said Becky Bartling, chief executive officer for Sonoma County Fair. “We’re excited bring back events like the monster trucks (show) and the rodeo that are real fan favorites.”

The fair also will host a junior livestock auction, garden exhibit, quinceañera expo, concession stands, live concerts and carnival rides.

The Hall of Flowers exhibition and horse racing, however, will not be held at the fairgrounds this year, though the race meet is planned to take place at Golden Gate Fields in the East Bay, Bartling said. A date for the racing has not been announced.

The fair will be capped at 10,000 attendees per day, in line with state recommendations starting in mid-June allowing large outdoor events to be held without asking for proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test.

Bartling said the fair will begin selling tickets online on June 14 and is encouraging people to buy in advance.

During the pandemic, the fair has struggled financially as most events at the fairgrounds were canceled. It was forced to lay off 15 employees, and faced a quarter-million-dollar deficit in its $9 million annual budget.

Even though this year’s festival will be smaller, Bartling expects it to be a money maker. “We completely anticipate this event will add to our bottom line,” she said.

Andrea Stillwell, marketing director for Butler Amusements, said the rides and games the carnival operator will offer this year will be “pretty close to what we would bring to a full-scale fair.”

That includes a Zipper, gondola wheel, drop tower and a variety of family friendly rides.

Dayna Justus, a local 4-H leader, is excited to return to the show ring after taking part in an online livestock auction the replaced last year’s event. The upcoming fair will be her youngest son’s first time entering a hog in an in-person animal grading and sale.

“This last year was devastating to me because the fair is a big part of what we do in our schedule ― it’s a part of me,” Justus said “The Sonoma County Fairgrounds feels like home, so I know we’re going to be so exited to get back and be at our home fair.”

For more information visit: http://www.sonomacountyfair.com/fair/sonoma-county-fair.php

You can reach Staff Writer Ethan Varian at ethan.varian@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5412. On Twitter @ethanvarian