For Immediate Release
Anyone who has taken the time to pay attention to themes of the Plumas Sierra County Fair, would see that they have been all over the map. Some have reflected the point in time of the Fair; like “150th Anniversary” in 2009 or “Come Alive in ‘75” for 1975. Others were calls to action; the first modern Fair in 1940 was based on the theme “It’s Your Fair, So Be There”. After that, it would appear organizers didn’t feel the need for a theme until 1952. At that time, there was a close connection between the Fair and the Plumas Chamber of Commerce, the former led by the legendary Tulsa St. Elmo Scott and the latter by Chet Peckinpah, both members of the Western Fairs Association Hall of Fame. 1952 features the first of several themes that promoted the economy and attractions of the County; “Lumbering Progress”. Although the use of themes was still sporadic, later years had similar motives; “Outdoor Glory”, “Natural Resources….Plumas County’s Wealth” and “Progress’n Plumas Style”.
History had its turn on many occasions. 1976 featured “Plumas Pride In Our Past, Faith In Our Future”, followed in 1977 with “The Old West At Its Best”. 1983 made a nod to agriculture and history with “Harvest of History”. And of course, the old faithful rhyming and word play themes seemed to be popular since the 80’s. “A Family A-Fair” in 1985, and “Bales, Tails & Happy Trails” in 2010. The past few years though, the Plumas Sierra County Fair Board has made choices that have given the Fair an opportunity to address issues that can educate and inspire our community. The 2017 theme of “Art to Ag” was awarded First Place among fairs with attendance of 100,000 or less on the West Coast, as well as being nominated as one of the top 5 outstanding programs of fairs of all sizes.
The 2020 fair theme is “Young At Heart”. The road leading to that theme began with the idea of how the Fair could showcase the talent and deep resources of our youth in Plumas and Sierra Counties. The Fair Board wanted to celebrate the knowledge and accomplishments of the young people in our community. Then it was asked; “What do we consider young?” Just because someone doesn’t know how to operate a cell phone beyond answering a phone call, doesn’t mean they don’t FEEL young. So, after discussing and considering these deep rhetorical thoughts, the Fair Board found the obvious phrase we all know; “Young At Heart”.
Everyone knows people that, despite their age, are truly young at heart. These are the people, along with the youth of our two counties that the 2020 Plumas Sierra County Fair is built around. Plans to do just that are in the works, but the Fair invites anyone who has an idea, or maybe knows someone that exemplifies the theme, to contact the fair office and share their thoughts. Look for activities that will help us all discover how young at heart we really are.
Getting back the youngsters, the Fair is planning a Kiddie Land featuring bounce attractions, activities and games. This concept is centered around the idea of creating a fun, safe place where our younger visitors can hang out throughout the Fair.
The 2020 Exhibit Guide is scheduled for release around the first week of February. “The exhibit guide is the portal to a successful fair,” declared the Fair Manager. “Last year saw a significant increase in entries and contributed to one of our best Fairs ever.” Steffanic emphasized that the more entries, the stronger the fair.
The 2020 Plumas Sierra County Fair will take place August 12 – 16, 2020. It always begins on the second Wednesday in August.