Fun in Nevada County for the July 4th Week

Looking for something to do next week and through the July 4 weekend?  Check out these super cool events happening right in our own backyard!

Music in the Mountains
Happening this weekend and on July 3, Music in the Mountains will host their Summer Fest Concert Series.  There are concerts planned for June 29 and 30, and then an outdoor concert on July 3. It’s music beneath the tall pine trees.  Simply beautiful! Visit www.musicinthemountains.org.

4th of July Festivities
A colorful parade through historic downtown Grass Valley and the Sierra foothills’ largest aerial fireworks display top the 2013 Fourth of July celebration in Nevada County. The parade begins at 10 am on Thursday, and following the parade there will be a celebration under the pines at the Nevada County Fairgrounds (grounds open at 3 pm). Live music and entertainment, food and refreshments are offered. The fireworks spectacular blasts off at 9:30 pm.  The Nevada County Fourth of July celebration is co-sponsored by the Grass Valley/Nevada County and Nevada City chambers of commerce and the Grass Valley Downtown Association. Visit www.historicgrassvalley.com, www.grassvalleychamber.com, or www.nevadacitychamber.com for details.

An Evening with Bill Cosby
Finish your 4th of July weekend with an American icon of comedy – Bill Cosby.  This is a great event for the entire family and is held under the stars at the beautiful Fairgrounds.  General admission tickets for “An Evening with Bill Cosby” are still available. Visit www.thecenterforthearts.org for details.

Wow .. what a fun week! Thank you to all these organizations for putting on such spectacular events for our community. 

An Open Letter to the Community

To our Community ~

Regardless of where you stand on the issue of elephant rides at the Nevada County Fair, we thank you for your passion and for your belief in this community and the support of the Nevada County Fair.  Through the emails, letters, phone calls and testimony we’ve received, we’ve seen a common ground – we all believe that the Nevada County Fair is one of the best in the state and that it is a unique event that draws our community together and strengthens our ties.  The 2013 Nevada County Fair will be no exception.

Truly, we have listened and continue to listen to the feedback – both the opposition of the elephants at the Fair, and to those that support the Board’s decision to invite the elephants to the Fair.  To better explain our decision to welcome the elephants to the Nevada County Fair, our decision was based on the following facts:

  • Funds raised from Have Trunk Will Travel (HTWT) will go towards elephant conservation through the International Elephant Foundation, which has raised tens of thousands of dollars to save the endangered Asian elephant.
  • There is a video, produced by Animal Defenders International, making the rounds on social media.  It’s an edited and doctored version of many hours of filming.  Both the Association of Zoos and the United States Department of Agriculture did investigations based on the video and found no evidence of cruelty or abuse.  The USDA has acknowledged HTWT’s proactive approach for their elephant exhibit, their commitment to animal welfare and public safety and their outstanding compliance history over the years.
  • Dr. Linda Peddie, HTWT’s elephant veterinarian, states in her letter that the Johnsons are the most conscientious and ethical managers of any species with which they have dealt.  People who have visited the HTWT compound have reported that the facility is clean, well maintained and designed to nicely accommodate the elephants.
  • We are aware that there were distortions of the truth at the open meeting.  For example, it was stated that the internet petition contained 2,300 signatures and that most of them are from Nevada County. In reviewing the signatures of the petition, 92% are from outside our county with many coming in from other countries. Nevada County residents responding to the petition number 189 which is about 1/5th of 1% of the population of Nevada County.
  • In all exhibits and activities that we bring to the Fair we look at the potential risk and associated liability and assess the measured risk.  Based upon Have Trunk Will Travel’s excellent safety history we have determined that it is a safe exhibit for the Fair.

The directors chose to uphold the Have Trunk Will Travel contract which was approved at the April 23, 2013 Board meeting because, in weighing the testimony, they did not believe there was sufficient factual information to void the contract.  

Since the meeting, the Fair has received numerous emails some of which have been threatening.  While we respect many animal rights groups, we are concerned with animal rights groups from out of the county who are attempting to harm the Fair by encouraging vendors and sponsors to boycott.  We respect the First Amendment rights provided by the United States Constitution.  Citizens who wish to express their views during the Fair are welcome to do so at the free speech zones outside Gate 1 and Gate 5.  Alternatively, special interest groups may purchase a booth on the inner grounds.  Booth applications and copies of the Fair’s free speech policy are available at the Fair’s Administration Office.  The nature of the Fair is to provide diversity as evidenced by the participation of our various political parties.  

We are blessed to live in a free country where we all have the freedom of choice.  The Fair has a strong legacy of providing human and animal interaction from the livestock barns to the Draft Horse Classic.  It’s our customer’s choice whether they visit the barns, or not.  It’s our customer’s choice whether they attend the rodeo, or not.  Yes, there will be elephant rides, but the elephant rides are a small part of the Fair.  We respect our customer’s choice to visit the elephants, or bypass the exhibit completely.

Regardless if you visit the elephants or not, while you are at the Fair, plan a visit to the many other amazing things happening – a zip line, an exotic bird show, a hypnotist, thousands of community exhibits, barns full of livestock, musical entertainment on a number of stages, daily food contests, a special events tent and a carnival area full of rides. And, don’t forget about Treat Street – where our local non-profits make some of the best food in the fair industry and infuse hundreds of thousands of dollars back into our community!

As pointed out by The Union on June 22, “few fairs are held in such high regard by their community and serve as such a top tourist attraction for those in neighboring counties, as the Nevada County Fair … The fair’s economic impact on our community goes far beyond the contracted companies operating the exhibits, the gate receipts that buoy the fair’s bottom line or even the local merchants who stand to make money, as the livelihood of a large number of nonprofit organizations are dependent upon proceeds from the booths they operate there.”
We wholeheartedly agree! Let’s continue to make our community Fair one of the best in the state! Thank you for your support of the Fair, thank you for your love of this community, and thank you for being passionate in your beliefs. Join us at the Nevada County Fair, August 7 – 11.

Tom Browning
President

Sandy Woods
Chief Executive Officer

Categories: Announcements.

Fair Competition Handbook Now Available

Book includes all the information you need to enter exhibits in this year’s Fair

The Nevada County Fair’s Competition Handbook, which includes all the information you need to enter exhibits in this year’s Fair, is now available. If you can make it, bake it, grow it or show it, there is a category for you – and it can be found in the Competition Handbook!

Why not showcase a talent, a project, a cooking skill, or a special collection? Try one of the traditional categories like baking cookies or entering a prized photo; or one of the specialty contests designed specifically for this year’s Fair theme of “Under the Big Top,” like creating a circus train car out of a shoe box.  Or, enter one of the specialty food contests for adults – held each day of the Fair. There are also lots of special contests like the Squash Mobile Races, Rain Gutter Regatta, and the Idol Competition. The Competition Handbook is filled with hundreds of categories for children and adults.

Copies of the free handbook are available at the Fairgrounds’ Office, Chamber of Commerce offices, county libraries, Raley’s, or Online Here.  

It’s easy to enter! Look through the book, pick your favorite categories, and follow the simple steps for completing the entry forms. You can even enter on-line.   This year, there won’t be any entry fees for most categories (yes, it’s free!), you can enter on-line or at the Fair office, and there will be some great prizes!  The deadline for submitting paper entry forms and on-line entries is July 19 at 4 pm.

This year’s Competition Handbook also contains information about discounted Fair tickets available now through August 6, discount days at the Fair, and nightly arena events.

Categories: Announcements.

Enter the Special Food Contests at the Fair

Love to cook? Have a secret recipe that you think could win a contest? Consider entering it into one of the five special food contests held at the Fair. This year’s contests will focus on brownies, breads, salsa, anything chocolate, and potato salad. Food contests require entry forms, and forms are due by July 19. Those that participate in the food contests also receive free admission. Adult special food contests are held each evening at 6:30 pm in the Special Events tent. Check out the details here.

Categories: Announcements.

Beautiful Fairgrounds

So many fun photos are posted on our Facebook page. Here’s a photo posted last week by FB friend Piper Devi

Beautiful Fairgrounds

“A most amazing display at the Fairgrounds … Clematis, Honeysuckle and Star Jasmine — all in a row!”

Thanks, Piper, for the beautiful photo!

 

 

Categories: Announcements.

RFD TV to Feature Draft Horse Classic

Rural HeritageThis weekend, Rural Heritage will feature a ½ hour program on the annual Draft Horse Classic held at the Nevada County Fairgrounds. The segment on the Draft Horse Classic will air on Friday, June 7, at 11 am, and again on Saturday, June 8, at noon, Pacific Time, on RFD-TV.

The segment will feature the Draft Horse Classic, which has become the premier Draft Horse Show in the Western United States.  The footage covers the 2012 Classic, including the various competitions, interviews with participants, Harvest Fair activities, and lots of close up shots of the stars of the show – the beautiful Draft Horses.

This year’s Draft Horse Classic is September 19 – 22 at the tree-covered Nevada County Fairgrounds in Grass Valley. Tickets are on sale now, and can be purchased by calling the Fairgrounds Office at (530) 273-6217 or here  on our website

Categories: Announcements.

Grounds Closed to Walkers & Bikes June 12 – 16

In preparation for the annual Father’s Day Bluegrass Festival, June 13 – 16, the Nevada County Fairgrounds will be closed to walkers and bicyclists beginning June 12.

The Fairgrounds will re-open its gates to walkers and bicyclists as usual on Monday, June 17. This closure does not affect the Main Office, which is open during its normal business hours of Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm.

The RV Park at the Fairgrounds will also be closed to the public from June 10 – 17.

At various times throughout the year the grounds are rented by organizations for large, community events like the Bluegrass Festival, the KVMR Celtic Festival, and The California WorldFest. During these times, it becomes necessary to close the grounds to pedestrians in preparation for these various events.

If you are interested in attending the Bluegrass Festival, please visit www.cbaontheweb.org or call (209) 588-9214 or (530) 272-7553 during the week of the festival.

Categories: Announcements.

Enter an Exhibit in the Fair

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The Nevada County Fair’s Competition Handbook, which includes all the information you need to enter exhibits in this year’s Fair, is now available. If you can make it, bake it, grow it or show it, there is a category for you! Why not showcase a talent, a project, a cooking skill, or a special creation.   The Competition Handbook is filled with hundreds of categories for children and adults.

Copies of the free handbook are available at the Fairgrounds’ Office or on our website.   It’s easy to enter! Look through the book, pick your favorite categories, and follow the simple steps for entering. This year, there won’t be any entry fees for most categories (yes, it’s free!), you can enter on-line or at the Fair office, and there will be some great prizes!  The deadline for submitting paper entry forms and on-line entries is July 19 at 4 pm.

Categories: Announcements.