Community likes the hometown feel of the traditional Bolado Park
event
When residents talk about the San Benito County Fair, the same
phrase comes up often
– people say it is still a hometown kind of event.
The other thing that comes up is the dedication of the
volunteers who help to make the event a success every year.
Community likes the hometown feel of the traditional Bolado Park event
When residents talk about the San Benito County Fair, the same phrase comes up often – people say it is still a hometown kind of event.
The other thing that comes up is the dedication of the volunteers who help to make the event a success every year.
Those two things may have been on the minds of Pinnacle readers when they voted the San Benito County Fair the best local event in the 2009 Pinnacle Awards. The Hollister Downtown Association’s Lights On Parade took second this year.
“This fair is very well supported in the community,” said Kelley Ferreira, the CEO/fair manager. “I want to say we had maybe 60 or 80 volunteers, and each volunteer brings a group behind them.”
In addition to the volunteers, Ferreira mentioned the number of entries in the many categories from livestock to children’s art to quilts to baked goods.
“For the economy as its been, the fair was very well attended,” Ferreira said, of the Oct. 2-4 event. “After 23 years, I still love it.”
The 2009 fair brought with it plenty of the old standbys such as vendors selling fried foods, the livestock auction and booths from local businesses or nonprofits filling the main exhibition hall.
This year, Ferreira invited someone to run a childrens’ activity “where parents can take their little kids, sit and turn them loose,” which was a hit among parents of toddlers and preschoolers.
Rodney Bianchi served as the livestock superintendent and has volunteered at the fair for 18 years.
“For the surrounding area, we are the last, little local county fair,” he said. “It’s not about coming and doing big grandiose rides and concerts. It’s about coming and seeing old friends. It’s a dying breed and we have something special here.”
Bianchi coordinated livestock with 300 kids this year. He grew up in San Benito County, and showed animals as a student.
“Now my kids are starting to show, and it’s the volunteers” that make it work, he said. “It’s just one of those things where you plan on the end of September, the first of October, you know where you will be for that week.”
Suzie Crump and her daughter, Lisa Guerra, headed up the clothing and textiles department. Crump, too, had an idea about what makes San Benito’s County Fair the best event in the county.
“All the volunteers, all the participation of everyone that enters – whether it be gardeners or quilters, or FFA kids or 4-H kids – that is what makes the fair,” she said. “Then all the family comes out to look at the things their family members have entered.”
Each entry is displayed with the name of the entrant, the category and ribbons for first, second, third and honorable mention, once judging is complete.
“It’s fun to see everyone you know for that one time a year,” Crump said. “Everyone is happy and talking about, ‘Did you see that pumpkin or did you see that quilt or that pig at auction?'”
While Ferreira credits the volunteers with the success of the fair, Crump said, “Kelley and his staff really make it all work.”
Though the fair is 11 months away, locals can expect another hometown kind of event again next fall.
“We are very proud to get [best event],” Ferreira said.
