NAPA VALLEY, Calif. — When the Napa Town & Country Fair opens on Aug. 8 for its four-day run through Aug. 11, it will follow a tradition that began in 1930 and whose roots go back to agricultural events and exhibitions in the early 1800s, according to the International Association of Fairs & Expositions. Fairs now as then offer competition for the best agricultural and domestic products of the region and an annual celebration for the community to come together, share and learn.
Corey Oakley, too, holds dear those agricultural roots, community experiences and the traditions of fairs and carnivals of long ago. As a youngster growing up in Sonoma County, he raised animals, showed and sold them at auction at the local fair — a family tradition that his own daughter has continued this year.
Oakley jokes that he fell so in love with the fair life that he “ran away and joined the carnival!” In fact, the fair business is where he has spent his entire career. He has run some of the most significant fairs in California, including the San Bernardino County National Orange Show Fair for more than a decade and the Sonoma County Fair in Santa Rosa.
Ultimately he became an executive and co-owner of a carnival company, which contracted with the Napa Valley Expo in 2013 and has been here since. The carnival required that Oakley be on the road for more than 230 days per year, a demand that ceased in early 2020, when the world shut down due to COVID-19 and most in-person events were cancelled. For Oakley, the timing was providential since his mother was ill and this gave him time to come back home to Sonoma County and care for her.
Three years ago, though, the fair world called. Familiar with Napa due to his carnival-management experience, he took the reins at Napa Valley Expo as CEO. At the time, with the region just coming out of the COVID shutdowns, events of all kinds were struggling and reinventing.
Rather than despair, Oakley worked closely with the leadership team to learn from past fairs and the production of BottleRock on the 34-acre Napa Valley Expo site, to give the people of Napa what they want. Today what is commonly known as the Napa Fair reflects both the historic roots of the past and the modern upgrades, safety measures and entertainment options that reflect the community we live in today.
There had not been a fair in the two years before 2022, Oakley recalls, so along with the board of directors and retired Napa Valley Expo manager Joe Anderson, who consulted during the executive transition, the decision was made to retool, remake and reinvent portions of the fair.
“That first year we brought the Makers Market in,” Oakley explained. “It took the place of the home arts and crafts and fine arts exhibits, as we really hadn’t had a lot of entries. Post-COVID it was even harder to get people to enter. It was a big step. We also changed our plan as far as online ticketing — it was a little more modern and automated — and added a stage for local talent, bands and groups. A few things were a little different. We evolved from what the old fair was to something new.”
In 2022 the biggest day in terms of attendance was the Spanish language day.
“We really got a great response that year,” Oakley said. “We tried to do some real Spanish language programming, booking groups that speak directly to the community in our area. Any place with fairs, a place that has a strong ag base, has a large Spanish-speaking contingency. We wanted to provide a level of entertainment they would like to see, be proud of and have in our community.”
A long-time tradition at fairs across the country, and in Napa, is the youth agricultural competitions and auctions that include 4-H and Future Farmers of America groups. Napa’s annual Junior Livestock Auction is set for Saturday, Aug. 10. Oakley earned much of his college money through livestock auctions.
“Livestock is very important,” he said. “It’s a huge part of my life, so important for the kids. It is a part of the fair, but there are lots of other elements that you cannot find together anywhere else. While there are festivals, street events and farmers markets, only the fair can put on a livestock show, a drag show, have a Ferris wheel, corndogs, wine and pig races together.”
Oakley said this year’s festivities will include having three stages — the Joe Anderson Plaza Stage for national acts, the Bandstand for other shows such as the drag show and cover bands, and the Locals Live Stage, which features all local bands and a hypnotist who is the anchor of that stage.
Also this year Oakley has found a way to incorporate an element of Porchfest into the fair. Originally, the NTCF planned to have a porch stage with live music at the ’24 Porchfest to preview and promote the fair. When Porchfest went on hiatus this year, Oakley flipped the plan and provided an opportunity for a Porchfest Pop-up that will feature five bands to promote the 2025 event.
Last year, the pig races, new rides and a roller coaster were added, as well as the new drag show. This year the drag experience will feature the “Fierce and Fearless Drag Review with the DJ Rotten Robbie Dance Party” on Friday, as well as daily drag makeup transformation demonstrations in the Makers Market.
“How can we be more in touch with the community?” is the question Oakley continually asks. He marveled at the success of the drag show last year, held simultaneously with a country music act on the main stage.
“Two very diverse groups of people, it was very interesting to see it all come together,” he said. “Last year there was all of this talk in the media about drag shows and all of this rhetoric. No matter what side of the political world you are on, this is a chance to do something that is relevant and that people are talking about in terms of pop culture. We are always going to be very relevant with things that are in the news right now.”
Oakley said there were multiple phone calls to the Napa Valley Expo office last year, including scripted voicemails left without caller identities that seemed to be an organized effort and promised the fair would regret presenting drag, but the overall response was positive.
“It was concerning but certainly galvanized my thought that we were doing the right thing,” Oakley said. “Over time now, the feedback has been amazing. People are like, ‘That was awesome.’ Something that was just a couple hours on a Friday was transformative and comforting for people and matched our goal of something new and different and exciting every year.”
Analyzing the world-class guest experience of BottleRock has also resulted in some pleasing enhancements. Following two massive Latitude 38 Entertainment festivals with both BottleRock and La Onda at the Napa Valley Expo fewer than 60 days ago, the grounds needed a bit of TLC.
“The grass here is a point of pride,” Oakley said, “and we have better cell service at the area where you come in.”
They have added some temporary cell networks so that people can purchase tickets from their phones, and ambassadors will be positioned at the gate to help answer questions and provide solutions. Other upgrades have nearly eliminated barriers to entry, such as long lines to purchase tickets and security at the gate. Also updated are the metal detectors and security system. As patrons walk through an area outfitted with a series of cameras, the security team can see if there is anything questionable and, if so, pull an individual aside.
Corndogs, corn on the cob, hundreds of animals that range from goats to cows to hogs to rabbits and the rebuilt little red barn from which Kellie Fuller, the “Voice of the Fair,” will broadcast throughout the event are elements people want to remain the same. The red barn, central to the fairgrounds, has long served as a first-aid station and spot for information and lost items, even lost children.
“There is so much to do for $18,” Oakley said, “see friends, go on some rides. I think that for a lot of these acts you couldn’t go see them in a theater for less than $30. It is rare that you will go to the fair and not spend a good majority of your time greeting people. That is a unique thing that you can’t replicate at other types of events.”
The legendary Nitty Gritty Dirt Band on their Farewell Tour, Parmalee, Breland, Ching and La Original Banda El Limón will be featured on the largest stage. All acts are included with admission to the NTCF.
New for 2024, all entry tickets can only be purchased online. There will be no onsite entry ticket-sellers or onsite physical entry ticket sales. If you did not purchase in advance there is a QR code that can be scanned from a phone to buy tickets instantly. The fair is expected to be at capacity on Saturday and Sunday.
Presale tickets are available until midnight on Aug. 7 at $12 for children ages 6 to 11 and seniors 62 and older; $14 for adults 12 to 61 years of age. Opening day, Thursday, Aug. 8, all youth, seniors and active military with ID will be admitted free. Event-day entry tickets, if available, beginning Aug. 8 are $15 youth and seniors, and $18 for adults. Children 5 and under are free with accompanying adult ticket-holder. Onsite parking is available for a fee. For more information, visit NapaFair.org.
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Lisa Adams Walter is a writer, storyteller, editor and publicist who has been published in media outlets locally and nationally. A California wine country native, she brings intimate insight to an array of wine, food, arts, entertainment, lifestyle and travel stories.
When the weather is too hot it keeps us away from the fair. Parking is also always an issue.
Also food competitions