Carnival worker Geraldo Gonzales washes a food booth in preparation for opening day of the Marin County Fair in San Rafael, Calif. on Tuesday, June 27, 2023. The five-day fair opens Friday. (Alan Dep/Marin Independent Journal)
At 11 a.m on June 30, the gates of the annual Marin County Fair will swing open for a five-day run.
It will be the first time since the pandemic lockdown that the fair will return to its full-fledged glory, both indoors and out.
No more drive-through events or the outdoors-only event.
Between 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. at the Marin Center fairgrounds, the event will offer headline entertainment and carnival rides. In keeping with its tradition, it will also be a showcase of local talent, from jams to roses and “Star Search” talent contests to locally raised livestock.
The fair also shines a spotlight on the works of local artists in a display of their creative talent.
Their works are impressive and inspiring.
Topping off each night will be a fireworks show over the lagoon.
With an expected draw of more than 120,000 people over its run from Friday through Tuesay’s Fourth of July holiday, Marin’s fair has long been celebrated as the healthiest and greenest fair around. Solar power will run its stage and carousel, 92% of the fair’s garbage will be recycled and food booths will highlight healthy choices.
The Marin fair was one of the first to focus on greener alternatives and this year it plans to continue and grow that objective.
As in years past, the fair’s aim is to be an annual community-center gathering of Marin residents celebrating our county and its people.
Many locals will remember when an exhibit of Lucasfilm’s props and models generated a record crowd or when homegrown Huey Lewis and the News jammed the fairground’s island stage area. Or past themes like “Swine Online,” “Close Encounters of the Marin Kind,” “Barn in the USA” or “Where No Fair Has Gone Before.”
Don’t forget past fairs’ focus on the history of the Golden Gate Bridge, saving water, our county’s aquatic beauty and bounty and Marin’s burgeoning high-tech community.
This year’s theme – “Electrifying” – promises to highlight innovations in clean energy and renewable resources.
There are offerings for young and old.
On June 30, fairgoers in those categories – ages 12 and under and over 65 – get in free. Free entry also is offered to veterans with IDs on that day, as well.
Headliners playing on the island stage over the five days include Blue Oyster Cult, Expose, Patti LeBelle, Stephen Marley and Melissa Etheridge.
It’s time for a full-scale return of Marin’s annual Independence Day weekend fair.
This year’s offering follows last year’s partial return.
While many county fairs around the state are operated around and funded by horse racing, Marin’s fair has long been rooted in the community, its arts, agriculture and innovation.
As in years’ past, the fair’s organizers are making sure there is something for everyone.
A number of local businesses and agencies have signed on as sponsors, among them the Hennessy Funds, Redwood Credit Union, Electrify Marin, Clover Sonoma, Marin Sanitary Service, Modern Animal Veterinary Clinic, Community Action Marin, Marin Agricultural Land Trust, Seagate and the county.
County fairs are nostalgic and Marin fits that mold, while breaking it with its many innovations and its displays of local ingenuity.
But most important is the community, from Tiburon to Tomales, coming together to share the sights, smells and excitement that the annual fair engenders.
It’s a great way to spend an extended holiday weekend.
Used with permission by the Marin Independent Journal.
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