Mother Lode Fair Runs Tomorrow Through Sunday

The Mother Lode Fair in Sonora is ready for fun from Thursday through Sunday.

Stacey Dodge, Mother Lode Fair Marketing Manager, was Wednesday’s KVML “Newsmaker of the Day”.

Dodge is excited for this year’s fair and hopes that returning crowds will see positive changes right away.

“Some small things should make a big difference,” said Dodge. “Examples include a zip line, a petting zoo, disc golf and a wine and cheese showcase for adults with art demonstrations.”

Dodge says it is important that Tuolumne County retain a county fair and hopes that attendance numbers return to the large number of attendees before the recession.

The Fair began in 1889 as the Tuolumne County Fair & Horse Show on Racetrack Road, then reinvented itself in 1938 as the ‘Mother Lode Fair’. The Fair is now situated on 25 acres, south of downtown Sonora, on Stockton Road (Hwy 49).

This year’s theme is “A Red, White & Blue Salute to Our Veterans”. Veterans will be admitted for free on Thursday with Military I.D.

The Fair will run Thursday and Friday from 4 pm through midnight, 1 pm through midnight on Saturday and 1 p.m. through 11 pm on Sunday.

Musical entertainment this year includes Doobie Rock, Flying Blind, Tom Drinnon Band, Uplands Drive and Chains Required.

The grandstand arena will feature AMP Motocross racing on Friday, truck and tractor-pulls on Saturday and the popular Destruction Derby on Sunday.

Additionally, fair-goers will find plenty of food, exhibition booths and lots of animals including the Junior livestock auction on Saturday at 5 pm.

Free shuttle service will be provided from the Junction Shopping Center and the (old) Andy’s True Value parking lot for all four days of the fair. The shuttles are highly recommended as local traffic near the fairgrounds will be busy throughout the weekend.

For all of the details, go to http://www.motherlodefair.org

The “Newsmaker of the Day” is heard each weekday morning on AM 1450 KVML at 6:47, 7:47 and 8:47am.