Gentle Giant Journal: Details and Information for the 2010 Draft Horse Classic

Check out my @constantcontact newsletter

Draft Horse Classic Tickets on Sale Now

Majestic Draft Horse performances, breath-taking competitions, and seeing a Draft Horse “up-close” are all part of the festivities at the 24th annual Draft Horse Classic and Harvest Fair, September 23 – 26, at the Nevada County Fairgrounds in Grass Valley.

Tickets to this event are on-sale now. In order to provide the best possible customer service, we’ve placed ticket orders into time slots – beginning May 1, we'll be accepting mail and FAX orders only. Beginning June 1, we'll be accepting phone orders and walk-ins.

Purchase tickets before Wednesday, September 22, and tickets are $18 for general seating and $21 for reserved seating. After September 22, performance tickets are $21 for general seating and $24 for reserved seating. Tickets can be purchased by calling (530-273-6217), faxing (530-273-1146) or visiting the Fair Office on McCourtney Road.

Fairgrounds Seeking Nominations for Fair Family of the Year

Do you know a special family that deserves recognition at the 2010 Nevada County Fair? If so, the Nevada County Fairgrounds is seeking nominations for the 2010 Fair Family of the Year. Each year a family is recognized at the Nevada County Fair, and this year the Fairgrounds is asking the community for its help in nominating a family for this special award.

The Fair team is looking for a family who is very involved with the Fair, either through exhibiting or volunteering, and passionate about the Fair. Families chosen in previous years were recognized for their commitment to, and involvement with, the Nevada County Fair and the community.

If you’d like to nominate a family, please submit a one page summary of why you think the family of your choice deserves recognition as the 2010 Fair Family of the Year. The family chosen will be honored at opening ceremonies of the Nevada County Fair, and will also receive daily admission to the Fair, a season parking pass, ride coupons, and a family portrait from Schaffers Originals of Grass Valley.

Submit your nomination no later than June 15, 2010 to reply@NevadaCountyFair.com or mail it to the Nevada County Fairgrounds at P.O. Box 2687, Grass Valley, CA 95945.

Nevada County Fair - August 11 - 15, 2010

Mark your calendar for the event voted as “Nevada County’s Best” for 10 years in a row – the 2010 Nevada County Fair, August 11 – 15, at “California’s Most Beautiful Fairgrounds,” the Nevada County Fairgrounds in Grass Valley.

“Rooted in Tree-dition” is this year’s theme and five days of “tree-mendous” fun are planned for Fair-goers of all ages. Live entertainment will be available every day at five different stages throughout the Fairgrounds. There’s also carnival rides and games, barns full of livestock, thousands of community exhibits, special contests, an Idol Competition, nightly arena events, daily demonstrations, magic shows, gold panning, and food contests. As always, Treat Street will be serving an array of delicious food and drinks – corn dogs, pasties, tacos, corn on the cob, beer, tempura zucchini, nachos, hamburgers, funnel cakes and caramel corn – just to name a few!

Long-time crowd pleasing events will soar into the Fair’s arena Wednesday through Sunday, presenting thrills ranging from a rodeo to Monster Trucks to the Demolition Derby.

The Ag Mechanics Auction will be held on Friday of the Fair, and the Junior Livestock Auction will be held on Sunday, August 15. These popular annual events will raise more than $400,000 for Nevada County youth in agriculture.

For those interested in entering competitions and projects for judging, the Fair’s Competition Handbook will be available June 1. At that time, all of the categories, as well as online entry information, will be listed on the Fair’s web site at www.NevadaCountyFair.com.

Gates open each day at 10 am, and close each evening at 11 pm. Admission this year will be $8 for adults, $6 for seniors (65 and older), $3 for children 6 to 12, and free to children five years old and younger.

At one of the most affordable fairs in California, take advantage of one of several pre-sale packages available this year, including a special “Be A Kid” price of only $3 for a Thursday adult admission ticket; or a pre-sale Fair admission ticket for $5 for any one day of the Fair. Kids Day will once again be held on Thursday from 10 am to 5 pm and during that time all children 12 years and under are admitted for free. Other pre-sale packages and coupons will be announced in June.

The Nevada County Fairgrounds is located at 11228 McCourtney Road in Grass Valley, 50 miles northeast of Sacramento, off Highway 49. For directions, event details or general information, visit www.NevadaCountyFair.com or call the Fair Office at (530) 273-6217. Our blog can be found at www.NevadaCountyFair.blogspot.com, or you can follow us on Facebook or MySpace.

Fairgrounds Receives Numerous Industry Awards

The Nevada County Fairgrounds received 25 awards at the 47th Annual Western Fairs Association’s (WFA) Achievement Awards held in Reno, Nevada, at the end of last month. The Nevada County Fairgrounds took home first-place honors for the Fair video created by Gold in the Foothills; its 2009 Draft Horse Classic event and several of its promotional pieces; and its “Ugliest Dang Cake” exhibit competition. It also received first place in the Fair featured program, Social Media Madness, for its work in social media.

During this year’s WFA Achievement Awards Program, offered to recognize excellence and to share fair ideas and programs, the Nevada County Fairgrounds competed against more than 50 Fairs with similar attendance numbers within the Western United States and Canada. At the WFA Achievement Awards Ceremony, the Nevada County Fairgrounds collected a total of seven 1st place awards, 11 2nd place, and seven third place. The Fairgrounds also received nine Honorable Mention awards.

Among the many awards received, the Fairgrounds received second place for the Fair’s “Name the Rabbit” contest; third place for its community outreach program with the Fairgrounds’ Job Fair; second place for its overall marketing program; third place for the Fair’s Kids Corner; and second place for its work with nursery schools and pre-schools in decorating theme-related cut-outs.

The Western Fairs Association is a non-profit trade association serving the Fair industry throughout the Western United States and Canada.

To view the winning Fair video, visit www.GoldintheFoothills.com or www.NevadaCountyFair.com. With a theme of “Rooted in Tree-dition,” the 2010 Nevada County Fair is August 11 – 15.

Mark Your Calendar!

Mark your calendar with these fun events at the Nevada County Fairgrounds in 2010:

Nevada County Fair
August 11 - 16, 2010

Draft Horse Classic and Harvest Fair
September 23 - 26, 2010

Country Christmas Faire
November 26 - 28, 2010

Visit www.NevadaCountyFair.com for information!

Win $250 in Logo Design Contest

The Nevada County Fairgrounds is sponsoring a contest to find the best logo to illustrate the 2010 Nevada County Fair slogan – “Rooted in Tree-dition” – featuring trees, one of our counties top ten agricultural products. If you’re a talented artist, and you’d like $250, then this is the contest to enter!

The contest, which is open to Nevada County residents only, takes place now through Friday, January 15. If you submit the winning design, you will win $250 and a 2010 Nevada County Fair package that includes admission tickets, parking and carnival coupons. Additionally, the winning artwork will be used on various Fair promotional pieces, print ads, buttons, t-shirts, banners, posters, and flyers.

Interested artists may use any medium and can submit up to three entries, which must be on 8-1/2 by 11-inch paper. Entries can be delivered to the Fairgrounds Office at 11228 McCourtney Road or mailed to the Fair Office at PO Box 2687, Grass Valley, CA 95945. A complete set of rules can be found on the Fair’s website at www.NevadaCountyFair.com, or by calling the Fair Office at 530-273-6217.

Hollie Grimaldi Flores of Grass Valley submitted the winning slogan, “Rooted in Tree-dition,” for the five day Fair, August 11 – 15, 2010.