Carnival & Fair News

The Humboldt County Fair, held on the fairgrounds in the historic Victorian-style town of Ferndale, is one of the state's oldest and longest continuously running county fairs. The fair began elsewhere in the county in 1861 and found its permanent place in Ferndale in 1896. Along with the carnival rides, live entertainment, and fun fried foods, the fair is known for its major horse racing events, and the community considers the fair a true throwback to a coveted, bucolic, American life. This year, the fair ran from August 20th to September 8th, in the fairgrounds location that bears the tag line “where the highway ends and the fun begins.”

Admission was priced at $15 general admission, $10 for seniors and kids 6-12, and was free for kids under the age of 6. Carnival wristbands were $45, and fair parking $5. Wednesday the 28th was free admission for all, marking the start of Open Livestock Week; Thursday August 29th was free admission day for kids; and Friday the 30th was free for seniors. Veterans were offered free admission on Monday, September 2nd. The fair also provided a Sensory and ADA Day on August 28th.

This year's theme was “Ribbons, Rides & Racing,” so true to its name, the fair held six horse races on the fair's two weekends. On August 31st, with a nod to the Kentucky Derby, the 12th annual Ladies Hat Day at the Races took place in an event started by a local horse owner. The winner sported an enormous hat with a miniature horse track on it.

A free post-fair racing weekend was held on September 7 and 8. The extra race weekend was a first in the history of the fair and was offered in part due to the closing of Berkeley, Calif.'s Golden Gate Fields track, fair staff said.

According to fair board member Greg Gomes, “We wanted to give back to our wonderful community by extending the fun for one more weekend.” Free admission for those final races made it “the perfect opportunity” to take in the event, he said.

A large number of fair concessionaires and vendor booths also stayed open for that extra racing weekend; and the popular local cover band The Undercover performed after the final race as well.



That final weekend was a record breaker with a purse of $50,000 in the C.J. Hindley-Humboldt County Marathon Handicap, the most prize money offered in the history of the fair. All in all, there were eight full days of horse racing events that included 60 races and 300 starts for the horses. Along with the jubilance surrounding these events, there was sadness, however, as  this year saw the loss of several horses after they suffered injuries.  

Of course, there was plenty to do at the fair besides racing, from livestock contests and agriculture to floral and food exhibits, musical acts, and the carnival.
The Ferndale Garden Club presented an enormous midway floral display titled "The Garden Begins" to add to the festivities, and a pre-fair opening event, the Arts and Flower Gala, held a kick-off event priced at $20, allowing fairgoers the opportunity for a special preview of the art and floral exhibition entries this year.

Once the fair opened, other events followed in short order, including a chili cook-off and the junior livestock auction. Daily, fairgoers enjoyed the AOK Clown show, karaoke, a petting zoo, and both a pie-eating and a hot dog eating contest. The acrobatic all-female Silver Starlets also performed twice daily, offering interactive participation to attendees. Also on hand were juggling jesters, slot cars, model trains, and even an Earthquake Tsunami booth, an informative part of the fair that has been a part of the occasion for 25 years.

Another daily attraction was the popular Humboldt Dash & Splash dog dock diving competition. The dock jumping group is a club located in Humboldt County, designed for dogs and their owners to enjoy dock diving by leaping off a dock into water. Both the club and the fair performances focus on celebrating the human and canine bond.

The fair's carnival rides and games were provided by the Sacramento-based California Carnival Company, whose newest rides were the Wave Swinger and the thrilling Freak Out. Also drawing riders were the Century Wheel, the mega slide and super slide, a tea-cup ride, the Circus Train for kids, Pharoah's Fury, the Zipper, and Typhoon.

As to favorite fair foods, there were plenty, from chili cheese fries to cotton candy, and funnel cakes. Besides these favorite classics, there were a bevy of food trucks adding variety to the event. Dominck's Tacos, Cook's BBQ, Easy Squeezy Lemonade, Fryburger, and giant baby bottles of beverages were all big sellers. Local vendor Patchi's Pastries helmed a popular espresso bar at the fair with both indoor and outdoor tables.

For the fair's 128th year, the renowned Neil Diamond tribute band, Super Diamond, was one of the key musical acts. Other musical performances were offered by bands such as the Critics, Luke Powell with Monument Road, and Under the Influence.  Celebrating the fair's cattleman and farmers day, there was a hosted karaoke contest, vendor market, and beer garden.

Youth Livestock exhibitions were another of the fair's biggest draws, from pygmy goats to rabbits, swine, and Boer Goats, some 400 animals in all. According to Junior Livestock Auction committee member Jana Pimentel, sales broke $1 million dollars this year.

And, the fair's CEO Moira Kenny added a special new glow to the event this year, with the installation of a light in the historic lighthouse positioned at the fairgrounds entrance. The lighthouse was originally located on the coast in Cape Mendocino, where it was installed in 1868. When it fell into disrepair in 1949, the lens was relocated to the fairgrounds – until it was later reclaimed by the Coast Guard. The lighthouse itself remained but was not illuminated until this year.

Along with enjoying the renewed light, attendees could also learn more about the history of the fair itself this year. Film footage of past fairs was screened in the grounds' Hindley Hall Vendor's Building during the fair's run.