http://cloverdale.towns.pressdemocrat.com/2012/02/news/cloverdale-citrus-fair-120-years-and-counting/
Cloverdale Citrus Fair: 120 years and counting
Wednesday, February 1st, 2012 | Posted by Mary Jo Winter
Its almost time for the 120th annual Cloverdale Citrus Fair, scheduled for February 17-20.
This years theme, Mardi Gras, will be a celebration of the sights and sounds, the food and drinks that are New Orleans
or, if you prefer, Nawlins.
Andrew Thierry & Zydeco Magic will put everyone in the Mardi Gras spirit at a Pre-Fair Kick-Off Concert & Dance on Thursday, February 16 from 7 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $15 and include a No Host Bar and New Orleans-style appetizers.
Cloverdale has the distinction of having the first fair of the year in California, as well as being one of the longest-running annual fairs in the state. It is also one of only three citrus-themed festivals in California. with Santa Paula celebrating its 45th year in July and La Habra celebrating its 3rd year in April.
In the early 1890s, Chrysanthemum Fairs were the forerunners of the Citrus Fair. They were held in Library Hall, which was located on what is now N. Cloverdale Boulevard, near the current Museum and History Center. They were organized by Lizzie and Kate Armstrong, daughters of Col. James Boydston Armstrong for whom Armstrong Woods is named.
According to a biography by Carmen J. Finley and Doris M. Dickenson entitled Colonel James B. Armstrong, His Family and His Legacy, Armstrong moved his family from Ohio to California in 1874. Both his wife, Eleanore, and daughter, Kate, were in poor health at the time and he hoped the California climate would be beneficial for them.
They settled in Cloverdale where he built the family home and invested in local orchard land. He also bought Santa Rosa fruit orchards and established nurseries to study crop plants. This led to a lifelong friendship with Luther Burbank.
On January 21, 1893, the first meeting of the Citrus Fair Association was called to order. A notation in the minutes reads There are enough oranges, lemons and olives in the vicinity to make a magnificent display. We hope to see a good turnout.
Col. Armstrong has been called the father of the Citrus Fair. Despite having suffered a stroke less than two years earlier, Col. Armstrong was elected to be the Fairs first President. His term was cut short, though, when he was incapacitated by another stroke a few months later.
Other organizers were equally prominent citizens. W. T. Brush, president of the Bank of Cloverdale and city treasurer for more than two decades, was chosen to be Vice President. George A. Baer, owner and editor of the Cloverdale Reveille newspaper, was named Secretary. In addition, Isaac E. Shaw, president of the First National Bank of Cloverdale, was one of the first directors.
The very first Citrus Fair was held the following weekend on Friday and Saturday, January 27 and 28, in Library Hall, the same building that once housed the Chrysanthemum Fair. Among the first exhibitors were James Kleiser, Cloverdales founder, and Madam Emily Preston, the charismatic healer and religious leader who started the utopian community just north of town.
In 1897, the event was moved to a large wooden building that had been built especially for the Citrus Fair Association on a lot just north of what is now Exchange Bank. When that building was destroyed by fire on July 17, 1909, a new concrete reinforced structure was built to replace it at a cost of about $20,000. The building was completed in time for the 18th annual Citrus Fair in 1910.
The Fair moved to its current location on S. Cloverdale Blvd. in 1951.
Since 1924, one of the most popular events each year has been the Queen Pageant held on opening night of the Fair. The first Citrus Fair Queen, Mary Bettini, was chosen because she sold the most tickets. Today, the Pageant is more of a scholarship opportunity for local students between the ages of 16 and 19, with the 2012 Citrus Fair Queen receiving a $1,200 scholarship.
Elaborate three-dimensional citrus exhibits in the fair theme are trademarks of the Cloverdale Citrus Fair, with many of these displays using more than 1,000 oranges.
Once the design has been determined and the framework constructed, the oranges must be individually wired to the exhibit and the spaces in between filled with tufting. Every visible part of the exhibit must be covered with an edible substance or food by-product, such as raisins, rice, coffee grounds, bread, etc.
Volunteers work day and night on these exhibits during the three weeks leading up to the Fair. Cash prizes of up to $2,500 await the winners.
Saturday morning, rain or shine, you wont want to miss the Citrus Fair Parade which starts at 11 a.m. on W. Third Street and continues south on Cloverdale Boulevard to the fairgrounds.
The 4-day Fair will have something for everyone, from arts & crafts, 4-H exhibits, carnival rides, fair food and wine tasting to performances by the Kodiak Jack Dancers, Zydeco music by Gatorbeat and a Murder Mystery Dinner Theater Saturday and Sunday nights.
For more information, visit
www.cloverdalecitrusfair.org or call 894-3992.
The original Citrus Fair logo is still being used today.
For the 1910 fair, a uniformed band met every train, and visitors were escorted to the newly
rebuilt Citrus Fair Pavillion (on the left with oranges on windows) in carriages and automobiles.
The three-dimensional citrus exhibits must incorporate the theme of the fair.
2011 Citrus Fair Queen Jenna Beavers is flanked by her royal court (l-r)
Taira Creager, Ashley Gluch and Presley Macias. 
