After taking a year off, Yolo County Fair's Opening Night Gala proved it is still popular for residents and businesses. The Gala kicked off the first evening of the five-day fair - the longest-running free gate fair in Northern California - drawing …
After taking a year off, Yolo County Fair's Opening Night Gala proved it is still popular for residents and businesses.
The Gala kicked off the first evening of the five-day fair - the longest-running free gate fair in Northern California - drawing about 700 people who were wined and dined by 41 exhibitors.
Held beneath a wide-open tent on the northwestern corner of the 30-acre fairgrounds, Wednesday night's Gala was in stark contrast to previous years when people crowed inside the metal- and wood-framed Ag Business building, where high temperatures were barely made manageable by industrial-sized fans.
This year, even though the heat was in the low 90s, the high-canopied tent allowed for plenty of ventilation, keeping people and exhibitors relatively cool as they sampled everything from fine wines to sirloin steak.
And instead of the continuous roar of fans, attendees were treated to country music on the Main Exhibition Stage by the group Little Wing.
New Fair Director Albert Gallegos said that even though he has lived in Yolo County for over 10 years, it was his first fair. Gallegos joined the board of directors in early June, after being appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
On Wednesday, he spent a lot of time watching the Gala unfold, getting to know attendees as they quickly made their way through a long entry line and were greeted by people handing them recyclable plates and small cups for food, wine and beer.
Gallegos said he was looking at the Gala, and the fair itself, seeking to bring fresh ideas.
Executive Director of the Yolo County Fair, Sarah Pelle, noted that it was also her first time as a fair attendee. Even though she had spent years with the California Department of Food and Agriculture overseeing county fairs across the state, she had never had the opportunity to visit the Yolo event.
She, too, was spending time meeting community members and looking for ideas on which to build in the future.
Like other attendees, Pelle was dressed casually for the event to remain cool as she circulated among the crowd, greeting local politicians, as well as community and business representatives, capturing ideas and information on how to make the Gala as well as fair itself better.
Pelle said the fair was returning to being a "lunchtime fair," meaning that people could start arriving at noon on Thursday and Friday, and at 11 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. She also said the fair was bringing back some classic events as well as some new offerings such as the beer and wine showcase, featuring locally made beer and wine, and expanding into spirits and mead.
Pelle added there were 40 acts scheduled to provide people with lots of musical entertainment.
Juan Barajas, owner of Savory Café, took a few minutes from creating tastings for visitors to say that he "liked the pavilion."
Savory has been represented at the fair since 2015 as have many other businesses, such as Father Paddy's Irish Pub, Nugget Markets, Great Bear Vineyards, Séka Hills, the HIVE, Upper Crust Baking and more.
Barajas is also one of the founders of Woodland's Dinner on Main, and has lots of experience in feeding large crowds.
"Using the pavilion is nice and open," he noted, giving people more freedom to move around. "This is something we can pivot to if there are any issues in the future."
The Gala has opened the first night of the August Fair since 2006, but both the Gala and Fair have been hit in recent years by the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced a closure during the early 2020s as well as personnel problems, which resulted in the cancellation of the Gala in 2023.
Those past problems were seemingly forgotten during the Gala, where everyone seemed more than happy to snack and chat about not just the fair but local events as well as how to make the fair better in the future.
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