Best Four Days of Summer
Dubbed the Best Four Days of Summer, the 39th Annual Ramona Country Fair is “a big family affair” with carnival rides, food galore, crowd-pleasing contests, lawn mower races, a tractor parade and show, live entertainment, vendor variety and more.
“It’s a growing event,” said Craig Jung, executive director of the Ramona Chamber of Commerce, which puts on the fair every year.
The fair starts at 5 p.m. July 30 and promises nonstop fun through the Ramona Idol Finals that will start at 4 p.m. on Aug. 2.
Admission to the fair is free. Parking will be $5, with proceeds being split among nonprofit groups providing volunteer parking attendants.
Fair hours are from 5 to 11 p.m. July 30 and 31, noon to 11 p.m. Aug. 1 and noon to 10 p.m. Aug. 2. Carnival rides stay open until 11 p.m. Thursday, midnight Friday and Saturday, and 11 p.m. Sunday. Wristband hours—take as many rides as you want for one price—are from 5 to 10 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 1 to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Next door in the Ramona Junior Fairgrounds, look for the 38th Annual Ramona Junior Fair that started July 25 and continues through Aug. 2. The 4-H’ers will be fixing pancake breakfast every morning and serving hamburgers, hot dogs and other food and drinks the rest of the day and evening. See other articles in this issue of the Ramona Sentinel for more about the junior fair.
The Fourth Annual Unofficial Tractor Parade will be Saturday, starting at 9:30 a.m. at Molly Malone’s at 13th and Main streets and going down Main to the fairgrounds off Fifth Street and Aqua Lane, where the tractor owners and drivers will show off their vehicles in the Tractor Show. Steve Stipp at 760-788-2012 has more information for those wishing to participate.
Darrell Moore and his crew are ready for the Lawn Mower Races on Saturday, starting at 5:30 p.m. The races have attracted the attention of the National Lawn Mowers Association and members will be coming to participate from the Temecula/Rancho California area, said Moore.
A drawing for a pump shotgun will be held at the races, and Randy Waitman will bring his sprint-car simulators from 3 to 6 p.m. as an added attraction.
All of the money raised at the lawn mower race event will go to Ramona High School for a specific program yet to be determined. Last year $1,500 went to the school. This year, Moore’s goal is $2,000.
“We’ve got lots of vendors this year,” said Jung, adding last week “it’s in the 80s right now.”
Fifteen food vendors will be here with treats like funnel cakes, the bloomin’ onion, sausages, steak sandwiches, Philly cheesecakes, kettle corn, street tacos and, Jung said, “we’ve got wonderful nachos, fabulous nachos that are a meal by themselves.”
Two Mexican restaurants will be represented in the food area, and, to top everything off, “you’ve got to have Carvel ice cream,” said Jung.
Handmade jewelry, candles, quilts, Cookie Lee jewelry, Puzzle Magic, Healthy Gourmet food demonstrations, cookware, Lawrence Welk and Riviera Oaks timeshares, crafts, home improvement booths, Waterwise landscape turf, gifts, Funky Monkey Accessories— “lots of fun stuff”—will fill the vendor area, Jung commented, adding “whenever the fair’s open, the vendors will be there.”
The last day to purchase pre-sale wristband carnival ride tickets is July 30. If purchased in advance, buyers will save $3. Pre-sale tickets are at Ramona Chamber of Commerce, 960 Main St.; Albertsons, 1459 Main St.; Elston Hay & Grain, 2220 Main St.; Livery Feed & Ranch Supply, 2537 Main St.; Kaleidoscope Kiosks, 677 Main St.; and Java Hut, 23658A San Vicente Road.
The lineup of Saturday contests include Egg Toss at 1 p.m., Watermelon Eating at 2, Chicken Bingo at 3 and the lawn mower races and related events from 5 to 7 p.m.
Live entertainment on Saturday includes Travis Ross at 4 p.m., Citizen Band at 7, Sara Petite at 8 and Agavero Revue at 9.
See the Ramona Idol Contest article in this issue of the Sentinel for details about that country fair event.
For more information about the country fair and junior fair, see, respectively, www.ramonachamber.com and www.ramonajuniorfair.com.