Sonoma County Harvest Fair opens to uncertain future, possible merger with Sonoma County Fair in 2020

Bob Brazeau and David Rodgers first started coming to the annual Sonoma County Harvest Fair for the wine. But nearly 20 years later, that’s not the only reason they keep coming back.

“It’s more than just the wine now,” Brazeau said. “It’s the fellowship that we have, the tradition of coming.”

Hundreds of Sonoma County residents, like Brazeau and Rodgers, look forward to the two-day fair each year. The event, which opened for the 2019 fall season Friday, features wine, food and beer tastings, as well as the renowned World Championship Grape Stomp.

The promise of good wine even brings people from other states. Portland couple Jeff and Sarah Gorham have been coming with their Rohnert Park friends Chris and Brooke Davis for about 16 years. The first time they visited, they bought pumpkin hats at the fair to commemorate the occasion - hats they still wear each time they come back as a fun, silly tradition.

“We come primarily for this - to drink some of the best wines ... under one roof,” Jeff Gorham said. “It’s just a joyful celebration of being able to be with family and friends and celebrating the wine harvest.”

Many people who attended the fair’s opening night described it as a uniquely Sonoma County experience. Mike Burke of Santa Rosa used to be a grape stomping champion in the 1990s. While he no longer competes, he still returns to the fair for the local wines.

“I just come here because I love Sonoma County,” Burke said.

But he, along with other attendees, fear that might change.

For more than four decades, the Harvest Fair has been a standalone event following the Sonoma County Fair in the late summer. Recently, though, organizers have floated a plan to merge the two starting in 2020. This comes after organizers in 2013 dumped most of the Harvest Fair’s exhibits and activities, including holiday crafts, shifting its focus to wine and food.

Sonoma County Fair CEO Becky Bartling said the Harvest Fair board of directors will make a final decision when they meet Wednesday. She said such a move would increase exposure for the Harvest Fair, which has seen dwindling attendance, and create a new opportunity for regular fairgoers who aren’t normally exposed to the event.

Fairs across the Bay Area have seen attendance decline in recent years. Paid attendance at the Sonoma County Fair dropped this summer for the sixth year in a row, falling to 125,802 - about 75,000 fewer than in 2013, the fair’s last peak.

Jane Engdahl, who has organized the grape stomping competition for more than 30 years, said the Harvest Fair has changed a lot since it first started. Now that many of the activities are gone, some people feel like the grape stomping competition isn’t enough to do at the fair anymore and have stopped coming.

“The Harvest Fair is no longer the only event in town, so there’s hope that if we consolidate it with the county fair, we’ll reach a new audience,” Engdahl said. “In order for the Harvest Fair to survive financially, we have to make some changes.”

The Harvest Fair reported $364,000 in revenue in 2017, down from $418,000 in 2011, according to its annual Form 990, a public document where nonprofits must report revenue, expenses and other details.

Many vendors welcomed the possible merger. Jim Forchini, who owns Forchini Vineyards and Winery, said it would be easier for smaller wineries like his to participate in the fair, since it wouldn’t take place in the middle of harvest season.

Attendees like Sue Boden, though, said they were “heartsick” at the possibility of the unique fair being consolidated with the large county event.

“It would get lost, to be honest with you. The big fair ... it’s very busy,” Burke said. “This is still true Sonoma County - that’s why we always liked this one better.”

You can reach Staff Writer Chantelle Lee at 707-521-5337 or chantelle.lee@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter ?@ChantelleHLee. You can reach Staff Writer Tyler Silvy at 707-526-8667 or at tyler.silvy@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @tylersilvy.