Bumper cars - always fun!
Every year the Siskiyou Golden Fair has a new slogan, but the one I remember from my childhood is “Fair time is fun time”. There is always something new to discover at the Fair, whether this is your first time to the Fair or an annual event. This year’s Siskiyou Golden Fair is August 11th -15th at the fairgrounds in Yreka. There are grandstand events, like the headline concert with Jack Ingram and the CCPRA/NPRA Rodeo, along with the daily entertainment at the Mall Stage. If you’re an animal person, be sure to check out the livestock buildings where 4-H kids will be showing cows, sheep, pigs, chickens, etc. Every day there is a contest that anyone can enter: I’m dreaming up a “car” for the Veggie Derby Races in the Ag-Hort
Building on Thursday where you build a racecar using a vegetable and race it against other “drivers”.
The Siskiyou Golden Fairbook has lots of info about the various events, shows, and displays throughout the Fair. It’s full of info, so look carefully. You’ll learn that if you missed Shasta Taiko in Mt. Shasta, you can catch a show Friday on the Mall Stage. Catch the location for the petting zoo, pony rides, the Barnyard of Fun and cooking demonstrations. There is too much to talk about here, so go to the Fair website to download the Fair Book.
Gate Admission & Parking:
General Admission (13 -61 years): $6.00
Senior Admission (62 years & over): $4.00
Child Admission (7-12 years): $2.00
Child Admission (6 years & under): FREE!
Parking: FREE!
Pre-Sale Admission (Pack of 5 tickets): $20.00
Hours of the Fair:
Wednesday: 5 p.m. – 12 a.m.
Thursday: 8 a.m. – 12 a.m.
Friday: 8 a.m. – 12 a.m.
Saturday: 8 .m. – 12 a.m.
Sunday: 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Exhibit Building Hours:
Wednesday: 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Thursday: 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Friday: 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Saturday: 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Carnival Hours:
Wednesday: 5 p.m. – 12 a.m.
Thursday: 12 p.m. – 12 a.m.
Friday: 12 p.m. – 12 a.m.
Saturday: 12 p.m. – 12 a.m.
Sunday: 12 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Carnival “Pay-One-Price” Wristbands:
Pre Sale: $18.00
During Fair: $28.00
If you’re in Mt. Shasta this weekend (July 31st and August 2nd) you’ll see that there is a lot going on. Cyclists will be coming to town for the Hill Climb and Summit Century rides, ShastaYama taiko performance will draw an evening crowd, and Saturday afternoon folks will head up to the Ski Park for the Jefferson Brew-fest. Whew.
Things get started Saturday when the Jefferson Brew-fest (from noon to 5pm) brings a celebration of local and regional microbrews. Local band the Fabulous Blackwells will be performing. Many local and regional breweries will be in attendance, some with specials brews. The Brew-fest is at the Mt. Shasta Ski Park, where the Coyote Grill will be serving food. The $20 entry fees goes to a local scholarship fund.
Saturday evening the air will be filled with music and pageantry at ShastaYama and the power of taiko drumming. See yesterday’s post for more about ShastaYama. If you’re in town this weekend, sitting on a picnic blanket in Shastice Park watching inspiring performances is the place to be.
Sunday morning hundreds of riders will take to the four routes of the Shasta Summit Century bike ride. For those who want an enjoyable, short ride through the hills and the Shasta Valley on the half metric (30 miles) or metric (60 mile) rides. The half metric is popular with families, and you’ll see young kids riding up the South Fork of the Sacramento River with their families. The longer rides are simply punishing. The Summit Century covers 100 miles and 10,500 feet of climbing on the route that climbs up the South Fork, up to Castle Lake and up Everitt Memorial to finish at the Old Ski Bowl. The Super Century challenges experienced riders with 139 miles and 16,500 feet of climbing.
It’s also a wonderful weekend for enjoying the outdoors. Wildflowers are blooming at the higher elevations, so a hike along the Pacific Crest Trail or a day at Castle Lake would be nice. Lake Siskiyou provides a cool place to hang out, rent a paddle boat from the Lake Siskiyou Resort, or a place for a nice walk along the lake trail. Whatever you choose to do – enjoy!
The Snow Ball is the annual celebration of winter fun – a chance to get out and boogie. So come join the locals at the 7th Annual Friends of the Avalanche Center Snow Ball on Jan 24th at the Mt. Shasta City Park. Doors open at 6pm for socializing and perusing the wonderful selection of raffle and silent auction items that includes backcountry and avalanche related hardware, clothing and local business gift certificates with a grand prize of a complete avalanche safety package including beacon, shovel and probe.
Dinner is served at 6:30pm with chicken, beef and vegetarian selections from the fab team of barbecue-ers from the Mt. Shasta Supermarket. At 8pm The Bucky Walters Band brings it mix of modern Bluegrass to the stage. Be sure to bring your dancing shoes, because this crowd likes to boogie. You can dance till midnight in this winter festival that always draws a crowd.
The Snow Ball will be held at the Mt Shasta City Park, 1315 Nixon Road, in Mt Shasta. You can find tickets at The Fifth Season, Shasta Base Camp and Village Books. $27 includes dinner, band and raffle; $15 for band only after 8pm. Beer and wine will be for sale, and drinks are available for all ages.
Be sure to visit the Friends of the Avalanche Center website for dates of the last of the Avalanche Awareness Presentations and Transceiver clinics to be held in February.
We went out to Callahan in the Scott Valley on Wednesday to see SV resident David Waymire who builds custom guitars. David grew up in the Valley and has been playing music since his school days (not that long ago in his case). He’s been building guitars for about a year and a half under the label Old Etna Guitars, creating his own designs, like the Bolivar Baby Jumbo. He prides himself on shaping the neck specifically to the hand of his client, and he’s heard back that his guitars are very comfortable to play. He’s using some exotic woods, like rosewood and ebony on the sides and backs, with Cali woods: western red cedar and redwood, for the top panel. It takes him 2-3 weeks to build a guitar. He’s currently experimenting with organic finishes, so the process will get quicker as he gets those products dialed in.
David’s in a band called The Sundown Poachers with another local boy – Johnny Callahan, who plays one of his guitars. The band plays regularly at the Etna Brewery (530.467.5277) – home of the Old Grind porter and Etna Rootbeer – on Thursday nights during the summer and at the Callahan Emporium. The band is also playing gigs in the Mt. Shasta area, with some unplanned appearances lately at the Billy Goat Tavern.
The Scott Valley is big on music, with plenty of its citizens playing together and some reaching beyond their local setting into the greater music world. In the summer they come together to celebrate with the Scott Valley Bluegrass Festival in July. This year’s event, from July 19-20, will include Carrie Hassler and Hard Rain, The Anderson Family Band, Alhambra Valley Band and the Piney Creek Weasels. It all kicks off in downtown Etna on Friday night with the “Jammin’ on Main” event from 6-9pm where anyone who brings an instrument can play. Some of the bands join in, so you can play with musicians you’ll be watching on stage the next day. It’s a low-key, family-friendly festival set under the old oak trees of the City Park, and well worth the visit. Plus, it’s a great excuse to visit the Scott Valley, a real through back to rural living.
To learn more about visiting the Scott Valley, use our website at www.visitsiskiyou.org.
Dunsmuir is Siskiyou County’s art community. It’s a little funky, a little cool, and it’s putting on events in April for music lovers and aspiring artists.
• Sunday, April 13th the Window Box Bonsai Accents & Art Gallery will host a bonsai workshop with local bonsai expert Jim Scott. The workshop, from 9am to noon, will feature Shimpaku junipers – prized for Bonsai culture because of their fine textured foliage and patterned, swirling trunk and branches.
– Workshop attendees should bring chopsticks and bonsai tools, if possible. All supplies, a #3 tree, ceramic dish, and soils are included in the $60 price. Window Box Bonsai Accents & Art Gallery is located on Sacramento Ave. For more info contact Window Box at 235-0963 or find the bonsai page at www.snowcrest.net/windowboxnursery.
• April 18th – 20th the Rostel will be hosting a photography workshop, The Visual Narrative and Landscape as Portrait, with instructors Emilio Bañuelos and Elena Carrasco. The workshop is limited to 12 students, and pre-registration is necessary. For more info see the website at www.nrcpa.org
• On Saturday, April 26th, six galleries in the historic downtown district will hold receptions to celebrate their eclectic mix of art, gifts, re-purposed items, antiques and photography. The Boxcar Gallery, the Brown Trout Gallery & Café, the Window Box Bonsai Accents & Art Gallery, Ruddle Cottage, the Rostel Gallery and Amtrak Depot will be showing a variety of works.
While in Dunsmuir, be sure to come with an appetite, not only for art, but also for tasty food. Several outstanding restaurants and cafes will tempt your palate as you wander the downtown area: Sengthongs, Café Maddelena, Cornerstone Café and Brown Trout Café all offer wonderful selections. To learn more about Dunsmuir, go to www.visitsiskiyou.org.
Events | Visit Siskiyou August 2, 2010 | 
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