Every year, without fail, the Mariposa County Fair reminds me why I love living here. There’s simply nothing else like it.
This year, the theme is Red, White, Blue and Ewe. Lee Ann Allen came up with it and won the fair theme contest out of 106 entries. And if that doesn’t make you smile, I’m not sure what will or should I say, what wool.
Our fair hasn’t lost its shear magic. While everything else in the world keeps getting bigger and louder and more complicated, ours stays wonderfully, stubbornly itself. It is, if I do say so myself, simply ewe-nique. There’s Foster’s Family Fun Night, the rodeo, the demolition derby, the rides, the food. But, my favorite moments? Those are a little different.
Nothing gets me like watching the kids show their animals. A youth walking a steer out to show with more focus and confidence than most grown adults can pull together. That right there is Mariposa County at its best. These kids work all year for that moment. Win or lose, they show up and they show out. I am not sheepish about saying it. Every single time it gives me hope.
And then there’s the tallest weed contest. I know, I know. But hear me out. Every year, someone hauls in the most spectacular weed you’ve ever seen in your life and asks us to be impressed by it. And we are. Every time. That weed earns it fleecing moment.
I also get to be part of something I’m really proud of each year, the Official Mariposa County Fair Program. The Gazette has put it together for years now, and it’s more than just a publication to me. People actually look forward to it and keep it. And every advertisement sold goes right back into our community. We’ve donated approximately $85,000 to the Mariposa County Friends of the Fairgrounds over the past decade. That’s worth bleating about.
If you’d like to be part of this year’s program, reach out to our advertising director Shantel Wight. You can call or text her at (805) 390-5429 or email her at shantel@mariposagazette.com. The advertising deadline is Aug. 7, 2026, so don’t lamb-guish too long.
This year’s fair runs Labor Day weekend, Sept. 4–7, 2026. Come out, eat something you probably shouldn’t and cheer for a kid you don’t know.
Stay for the moments that remind you what our community does better than anywhere else. Show up for each other. And I promise, no more, baaad puns.
Nicole W. Little is publisher of the Mariposa Gazette and can be reached at nicole@mariposagazette.com.
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