Sonoma County Fairgrounds

Last updated February 23, 2019

The Sonoma County Fairgrounds is a fairground and exhibition center located in Santa Rosa, California. It is where the annual Sonoma County fair takes place and other events throughout the year.

Santa Rosa is a city in and the county seat of Sonoma County, in California's Wine Country. Its estimated 2016 population was 175,155. Santa Rosa is the largest city in California's Redwood Empire, Wine Country and the North Bay; the fifth most populous city in the San Francisco Bay Area after San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont; and the 28th most populous city in California.

Sonoma County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 483,878. Its county seat and largest city is Santa Rosa. It is to the north of Marin County and the south of Mendocino County. It is west of Napa County and Lake County.

Fair gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities

A fair, also known as a funfair, is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. It is normally of the essence of a fair that it is temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks.

History

Historically, the fairgrounds has held horse races. Racing at the fairgrounds started in 1936.^[1] The Gravenstein Apple Show Classic was held at the fairgrounds, as part of the Sonoma County Fair, until 1938.^[2]

Facilities

The fairgrounds feature a horse-racing track and jockey club, a golf course, several open-air amphitheaters, and multiple buildings. The largest hall at the fairgrounds is Grace Pavilion( 38°25′56″N122°42′05″W / 38.4323°N 122.7014°W / 38.4323; -122.7014 (Grace Pavilion) ), a 40,500-square-foot (3,760 m²) indoor arena which can seat 4,400 people. It houses exhibits during the fair and is used throughout the year for concerts, fights, and other events.

Annual events

There are a number of annual events that take place at the fairgrounds, including the Sonoma County Fair. The fair takes place each July and participants experience music, carnival rides, farm animals, food and horse races. The Sonoma Valley Harvest Fair is a wine festival. It takes place each October and attendees can partake in Sonoma wine and food. It also has a grape stomping contest. The Harmony Festival, which is in June, is a new age festival with psychics, food, and music.^[3] Starting in 2013, the Emerald Cup, an "organic cannabis competition", started taking place at the fairgrounds, moving from its original location in Mendocino.^[4]

Livestock is commonly defined as domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce labor and commodities such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to those that are bred for consumption, while other times it refers only to farmed ruminants, such as cattle and goats. Horses are considered livestock in the United States.

Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the Cannabis plant used for medical or recreational purposes. The main psychoactive part of cannabis is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), one of 483 known compounds in the plant, including at least 65 other cannabinoids. Cannabis can be used by smoking, vaporizing, within food, or as an extract.

Related Research Articles

Sebastopol or is a city in Sonoma County, in California's Wine Country. The population was 7,379 at the 2010 U.S. Census, but its businesses also serve surrounding rural portions of Sonoma County, a region known as West County, which has a population of up to 50,000 residents.

Sonoma Valley is a valley located in southeastern Sonoma County, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Known as the birthplace of the California wine industry, the valley is home to some of the earliest vineyards and wineries in the state, some of which survived the phylloxera epidemic of the 1870s and the impact of prohibition in the early 20th century. Today, the valley's wines are protected by the US Federal Government's Sonoma Valley and Carneros AVAs.

North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area) subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area in California, United States

The North Bay is a subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, United States. The largest city is Santa Rosa, which is the fifth-largest city in the Bay Area. It is the location of the Napa and Sonoma wine regions, and is the least populous and least urbanized part of the Bay Area. It consists of Marin, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.

Gravenstein is a triploid apple cultivar that originated in the 17th century or earlier. The fruit has a tart flavor; in the Northern Hemisphere it is picked in July and August and is heavily used as a cooking apple, especially for apple sauce and apple cider. It does not keep well, and it is available only in season.

The Oregon State Fair is the official state fair of the U.S. state of Oregon. It takes place every August–September at the 185-acre (0.75 km²) Oregon State Fairgrounds located in north Salem, the state capital, as it has almost every year since 1862. In 2006, responsibility for running the fair was delegated to the Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department, and the division is now known as the Oregon State Fair & Exposition Center (OSFEC), which holds events on the fairgrounds year-round.

Knights Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in Sonoma County, California. One of Sonoma County's original five AVAs, Knights Valley AVA was formally designated an American Viticultural Area on October 21, 1983. Knights Valley AVA includes approximately 37,000 acres (150 km²). Over 30 growers maintain the 2,000 acres (8 km²) planted to wine grape vineyards. The easternmost designated Sonoma County wine region, Knights Valley AVA has the warmest climate in the county. The valley lies between the Alexander Valley AVA and Chalk Hill AVA wine regions to the west and the Mayacamas Mountains to the east. Geographically, the appellation separates the rest of Sonoma County from the Napa Valley AVA.

The Dry Creek Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Sonoma County, California, located northwest of the town of Healdsburg. The valley is formed by Dry Creek, a tributary of the Russian River, and is approximately 16 miles (25.7 km) long and 2 miles (3.2 km) wide. The appellation benefits from the proximity of the Lake Sonoma reservoir for irrigation in this relatively dry area.

The Green Valley of Russian River Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Sonoma County, California, United States. Located at the southwestern corner of the Russian River Valley AVA, its close proximity to the Pacific Ocean makes it one of the coolest appellations within Sonoma County. The climate in the Green Valley is even cooler than other parts of the Russian River Valley, and favors the cultivation of cool climate varietals like Pinot noir, Chardonnay and Gewürztraminer.

The Northern Sonoma AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Sonoma County, California, United States. The appellation covers most of the county with the notable exceptions of the Los Carneros AVA and Sonoma Valley AVA wine regions, which are located in the southern portion of the county. The creation of this AVA was largely based on the petitioning of the E & J Gallo Winery as part of their expansion of their Gallo of Sonoma brand.

The Sonoma Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Sonoma County, California, United States which centers on the Sonoma Valley in the southern portion of the county. The appellation is bordered by two mountain ranges: the Mayacamas Mountains to the east and the Sonoma Mountains to the west.

The Alameda County Fairgrounds is a 270-acre (110 ha) facility located in Pleasanton, California. It is home to the annual Alameda County Fair, held since 1912, as well as numerous trade shows and community events. Located on its grounds, the Pleasanton Fairgrounds Racetrack was built in 1858, making it the oldest one-mile (1.6 km) horse racing track in the United States. There is a 3,000 seat amphitheater, as well as a 9-hole golf course located within the track's infield.

Fairgrounds Park is an open land park restored from fairgrounds located off Cleveland Avenue in Hagerstown, Maryland, United States.

The Vermont State Fair is an annual state fair held in Rutland, Vermont at the Vermont State Fairgrounds. In the past, The event had taken place in early September, and lasted 9 to 10 days. In 2016, the dates were changed to a mid-August festival, with the first August fair taking place on the 16th thru 20th.

The Marin French Cheese Company is a manufacturer of artisan cheese located in rural west Marin County, California. The company was founded in 1865 by Jefferson Thompson, and produces cheeses under the Marin French Cheese brand name. It is the oldest continually operating cheese manufacturer in the United States.

The Sonoma International Film Festival (SIFF) is an American film festival that began in 1997. It takes place each April in the Sonoma Valley of California and is hosted by the Sonoma International Film Society, a 501c3 nonprofit organization. The festival contributes to the support of the Student Film Department at Sonoma Valley High School and includes in its program a showcase of student films.

The Dutchess County Fairgrounds is the home of the annual Dutchess County Fair. Open for over 160 years, the fairgrounds are open year-round and host a number of events.

The Ventura County Fair is an annual event held each August in Ventura, California, United States, at Seaside Park, commonly called the Ventura County Fairgrounds.

Sonoma Valley's Larson Family Winery is on Sonoma Creek in the Los Carneros AVA of Sonoma County.

South Park is residential neighborhood in the city of Santa Rosa, California. It is located in south Santa Rosa, below the U.S Highway 101 and west of the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, and encompasses 60 blocks. The community is notorious for its high crime rate and gang activity. South Park was also once a settlement for African Americans during the mid-1900s and is a center of Santa Rosa's black community.

The Church of One Tree is a historic building in the city of Santa Rosa, California, USA. It was built in 1873/4 from a single redwood tree milled in Guerneville, California.

References

↑ Lee Torliatt (12 June 2002). Sports Memories of Sonoma County. Arcadia Publishing. p. 184. ISBN 978-1-4396-3029-7.
↑ Western Sonoma County Historical Society (28 March 2011). Sebastopol's Gravenstein Apple Industry. Arcadia Publishing. p. 42. ISBN 978-1-4396-4055-5.
↑ Peg Melnik; Tim Fish (2 May 2011). Explorer's Guide Napa & Sonoma: A Great Destination (Ninth Edition) (Explorer's Great Destinations). The Countryman Press. p. 223. ISBN 978-1-58157-896-6.
↑ "The Emerald Cup Moves South to Sonoma County Fairgrounds Dec. 14-15". East Bay Express. East Bay Express. Retrieved 5 July 2014.

External links

Coordinates: 38°26′N122°42′W / 38.43°N 122.70°W / 38.43; -122.70

Geographic coordinate system Coordinate system

A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position and two or three of the numbers represent a horizontal position; alternatively, a geographic position may be expressed in a combined three-dimensional Cartesian vector. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation. To specify a location on a plane requires a map projection.

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[Torliatt2002-1] Lee Torliatt (12 June 2002). Sports Memories of Sonoma County. Arcadia Publishing. p. 184. ISBN 978-1-4396-3029-7.

[Society2011-2] Western Sonoma County Historical Society (28 March 2011). Sebastopol's Gravenstein Apple Industry. Arcadia Publishing. p. 42. ISBN 978-1-4396-4055-5.

[MelnikFish2011-3] Peg Melnik; Tim Fish (2 May 2011). Explorer's Guide Napa & Sonoma: A Great Destination (Ninth Edition) (Explorer's Great Destinations). The Countryman Press. p. 223. ISBN 978-1-58157-896-6.

[EBE1-4] "The Emerald Cup Moves South to Sonoma County Fairgrounds Dec. 14-15". East Bay Express. East Bay Express. Retrieved 5 July 2014.