Sonoma-Marin Fair sees blue ribbon attendance

Tens of thousands of people flocked to attend the Sonoma-Marin Fair this year, the annual celebration of agriculture and Americana at the very heart of Petaluma.

With the final count still coming in, more than 60,000 people are estimated to have attended the five-day event that ended Sunday, said CEO Erin Post. It was just shy of the 65,000 who attended in 2015, which was the second-best turnout in the fair’s 77-year history.

Post said the attendance still reflected strong interest in the long-running event.

“It shows the connection the community has to the fair,” she said.

Each year carries a unique theme, and this year’s theme, “Sonoma-Marin Fair Goes Local,” was infused throughout the fair’s various events, Post said. Vendors used products from Sonoma and Marin counties, livestock exhibitors incorporated the concept into their displays and a special exhibit highlighted individuals and entities that have helped shape the region.

Amid the new was the familiar for regular fair-goers, with livestock competitions, pig racing and the Ferris wheel looming above it all.

Perhaps the highest-profile event in recent years has been the ugly dog contest, with top honors in 2016 going to a diminutive pooch from Encino, SweePee Rambo. An oozing sore on the 17-year-old Chinese Crested Chihuahua mix earned him extra points with the judges.

It was Post’s first fair as CEO, having assumed the position March 1. She replaced former CEO Sarah Cummings, who left for the top job at the Colorado State Fair.

While Post said she couldn’t quite pin down her favorite part of the fair, a certain scenario stuck out in her memory. Retreating periodically to the relative calm of her office at the edge of the fairgrounds, she could still hear the elated din of laughter reverberating from outside.

“There were just so many sounds of joy, of family and kids having a good time. It was just such a great feeling,” she said.

A 2009 study estimated the fairgrounds generates around $10 million in spending in Petaluma over the course of the year.

Post said she hit the ground running as a new CEO in the closing stretch of planning for the event, and with a chance to take a breath, she will now pivot toward the future. Planning will soon officially kick off for next year’s 78th edition, she said.

Other tasks include the ongoing talks with the city of Petaluma over the future of the centrally located fairgrounds property. The fair currently operates on a $1-per-year lease from the city, which expires in 2023.

“We’re going to be working with the city, the find the best solution for everyone involved,” she said.

(Contact Eric Gneckow at eric.gneckow@arguscourier.com. On Twitter @Eric_Reports.)