Oh, how we love you, Treat Street! So many delicious choices! What’s your favorite treat on Treat Street? Leave a comment and we’ll randomly choose a few winners for a free admission ticket to the Fair. Photo by RHMImages.
Treat Street!
Hansen Family Recognized as Fair Family of the Year
The Hansen Family – Jeff, Andrea, Savannah May and Russell – have been named the 2019 Family of the Year by the Nevada County Fairgrounds Board of Directors. The Board chose the Hansen Family for their ongoing support of local youth in agriculture and their volunteer efforts and dedication to the Nevada County Fair.
Jeff and Andrea, who both grew up in Nevada County, have been attending the Nevada County Fair since they were kids and have been active with the Junior Livestock Auction since they started dating. They married in 2004 and now love sharing these annual traditions with their two children, Savannah May, 12, and Russell, 10. This year, both kids will have livestock entries at the Fair – Savannah May has been raising a market steer and heifer while Russell has been raising a market hog.
“We all love the Nevada County Fair,” says Andrea. “Each year, the kids and I scour the Fair’s Competition Handbook as soon as it’s released to circle all the still exhibits and livestock entries we want to enter. Some of the kid’s yearly goals revolve around the Fair and its judging.”
In addition to entering livestock and exhibits at the Fair, the Hansen family volunteers at the auction each year and the four of them work at the Meadowlarks Pasty Booth. Savannah May loves doing barn duty and working in the red barn and Russell loves camping during the Fair and being with friends.
When asked about their favorite part of the Fair, Andrea says it’s the livestock. “We love the auction and supporting the auction,” she says. “Watching the kids on Sunday is so emotional because we know the dedication and commitment that goes into the care and raising of each animal. Now that our own kids are showing, it adds a whole new dynamic to our experience.”
Andrea says that the family was so surprised and honored to be chosen as the Fair family of the year and to represent their favorite county event. “Fair is a huge cumulation of people’s hard work – not only from people’s exhibits but also from fair employees – and it’s so fun to see all the moving parts and seeing it all on display. The Fair provides a unique, invaluable experience and life skills for our kids, and it provides friendships and a place for our children to meet others who have the same passions they do.”
While not at the Fair, Jeff operates Hansen Bros. Enterprises, serves on the Nevada Joint Union High School Ag Advisory Board and loves to hunt. Andrea is a teacher at Clear Creek School, where Russell and Savannah May attend, and she also serves as a Meadowlarks project leader. Savannah May plays basketball and volleyball and Russell enjoys riding dirt bikes, swimming and playing with his two dogs, Ketchup and Levi. Both kids also love spending countless hours with their animals in the barn.
The Hansen Family will be honored at the Fair’s opening ceremony and will also receive a family portrait by Shaffers Originals of Grass Valley. This year’s Nevada County Fair is August 7 – 11.
2019 Arena Events
Don’t miss the spectacular arena events happening at the Nevada County Fair, August 7-11! This year features the new Motocross Madness happening on Thursday night! Returning favorites include the Flying U Extreme Rodeo on Wednesday, Monster and Rough Trucks on Friday and Saturday, and the Destruction Derby on Sunday. Buy your tickets today!
Agriculture Auctions at the Fair
Visit one of the auctions at this year’s Fair to support our local youth in agriculture and all their hard work!
Thank you, Nevada County Fairgrounds Foundation
Thanks to our very own Nevada County Fairgrounds Foundation, the Pine Tree Stage will have new shade and lights for the Fair! Here’s a sneak peek (we’re not done yet). Now you can sit beneath the shade during Fair while enjoying your favorite goodie from Treat Street and listening to your favorite band. Thank you, Fairgrounds Foundation, for your continued support of California’s most beautiful Fairgrounds!
Buy Fair Tickets Now
Who’s ready for tons of fun at the Nevada County Fair, August 7 – 11? Buy your tickets now and save money on admission and carnival tickets. Order online or stop by the Fair Office. See you at the Fair!
Enter an Exhibit at the Nevada County Fair
Enter an exhibit in the Nevada County Fair! If you can make it, bake it, grow it or show it, we have a class for you. The deadline to turn in entry forms is July 22, so visit NevadaCountyFair.com to get started. It’s easy to enter and it’s fun to visit the Fair and see your entries on display
Grounds Closed to Walkers Until July 16
In preparation for California WorldFest, July 11 – 14, the Fairgrounds will be closed to walkers and bicyclists beginning July 8. The Fairgrounds will re-open its gates to walkers and bicyclists as usual on Tuesday, July 16. 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. For tickets to WorldFest, visit worldfest.net.
Congratulations, White Barn Project!
Congratulations to The White Barn Project for being a recipient of the Western Fairs Association’s 2019 Blue Ribbon Award. The Fairgrounds Board awarded the White Barn Project this honor because of their work with 4-H and FFA youth. The organization, which provides donated clothing items to children in 4-H and FFA kids to exhibit at the Nevada County Fair, provided more than 100 children all or part of their uniforms in 2018. We can’t wait to see what they do in 2019! Congratulations, and thank you for helping our local youth!
Draft Horse Classic Tickets on Sale Now
Tickets are on sale now for the 33rd Annual Draft Horse Classic and Harvest Fair, September 19 – 22, at the beautiful Nevada County Fairgrounds in Grass Valley. There are six exciting performances held throughout the four days of the Classic and each one gives you the unique opportunity to see the magnificent draft horses perform and compete. The Classic is also an opportunity to meet the draft horses by visiting the open barns or taking one of our barn tours.
The Draft Horse Classic showcases almost two hundred draft horses performing and competing and masterfully pulling wagons and carriages, and features exhibitors and hitches from across the United States and Canada.
Between competition classes, the audience will enjoy performances by specialty acts like the California Cowgirls, the CHP Mounted Patrol Unit, and chariot and chuck wagon races. There’s also Gladius the Show, an acrobatic equestrian production that incorporates aerialists, fire and Roman riding. Additionally, with almost 200 horses stabled on the grounds, the Classic offers the opportunity to visit the barns and meet the draft horses up close.
Tickets to this event are on sale now. You can choose from six different performances or purchase a season ticket for all six. Tickets can be purchased by calling (530) 273-6217, by visiting the Fairgrounds Office on McCourtney Road, or online here. All tickets purchased after 5 pm on Wednesday, September 18, are an additional $4 per ticket. There are a limited number of RV spots available for season ticket holders.
Although there is a charge for the draft horse performances in the arena, admission to the Fairgrounds is free so all can enjoy the many activities of the Harvest Fair happening during the four days of the Classic. Visit the grounds to enjoy ongoing musical entertainment, cowboy poetry, a Western Trade Show with vendors selling wares, community exhibits, a horseshoeing demonstration, delicious food, and Art at the Classic.
It’s all happening at the Draft Horse Classic and Harvest Fair, September 19 – 22, at the Nevada County Fairgrounds in Grass Valley. For information, call (530) 273-6217 or visit here.
