# 76 - September 12th, 2007

Greetings one and all - I hope that many of you will be joining me at The County Fair this coming weekend – Sept 14th, 15th, and 16th…With that in mind, this week’s T.V. Quiz has a Fair flavor about it so here we go…Answers at the end…
1. The Fair’s full name is ‘The Mendocino County Fair and Apple Show’ and the first one took place in 1938. However, prior to this there had been a ‘ Mendocino Apple Show’ that included many of the events, exhibits, and competitions that still exist today. When was the first of these held?
2. What took place at The County Fair for the very first time in 1976?
3. According to local folklore, what occurred on the Saturday night of The Fair in 1949?

Well I certainly managed to get a “bird’s eye view” of our emergency services at work this past week when Hummingbird was involved in an accident at the corner of Hwy 128 and Gschwend Road. I was summoned to the scene from Boonville where I was hovering over my first pint of beer of the day. She had been rear-ended as she was about to make a left-hand turn off the highway by a logging truck whose brakes apparently locked when it tried to slow down from whatever speed it was doing. Despite signaling well in advance, a fact acknowledged by the truck driver, he slammed into her back and she was badly shaken up and needed emergency treatment. Philo Ray was quickly on the scene and called the ambulance which soon arrived…
Hummingbird had some problems with her neck and so it was thought necessary to take her to the hospital in Ukiah. I arrived as the Volunteer Fire Department's Roy Laird and medics David Severn and Polly Bates took control of the situation - their knowledge and quality of care was immediately noticeable. I was invited to ride along with them but decided to follow the ambulance so that Hummingbird and I would have a way to get back to The Valley. There was no doubt who was at fault and the C.H.P., who were now on the scene, had been questioning the driver of the truck for some time as we drove away. With Hummingbird strapped to the gurney in a neck brace, in pain, and very upset, I knew better than to confront the guilty party - there would not be room in the ambulance for him too...
Hummingbird was x-rayed etc. and it was determined that she had bad whiplash and muscle spasms and would feel pretty shaken up for a few days. “It feels like someone has being trying to strangle me” she said to me the next day with a knowing look. Thankfully my alibi was watertight and she realized it was the accident that she was suffering from…
She wishes me to pass on her gratitude for the wonderful care and attention provided during the difficult journey over the hill to Ukiah by the medics already mentioned above, plus Art Hatcher, Martha Hyde, and driver Terry Gowan. The hospital visit was also very efficient, professional, and caring but it was our local medics and their comforting words, expert handling of the situation, and Polly’s holding of her hand, that had helped immensely in what had been a very painful and frightening experience - Hummingbird had seen the truck getting closer and closer in her rear-view mirror but had nowhere to go with cars both in front of her and also coming towards her in the opposite direction …She is feeling much better and, although feeling a little nervous of having a big logging truck bearing down behind her in the future (perhaps something we should all be wary of), she and I are both comforted by the knowledge that we will be in the best of care if something similar ever happens again and feel that all of us in these parts are very fortunate to have such an excellent service and such dedicated people carrying it out…
It is surely a sign of the times and demographics of The Valley that this year’s Apple Bowl, played at The County Fair between Anderson Valley High and Mendocino High for many, many years, will be replaced by “The Apple Cup (Copa)” – a soccer match between the two schools. With A.V. not fielding a Varsity football team this year and the Panthers and Mendocino Varsity soccer teams already scheduled to meet in a league game this Friday, the decision to make the soccer game a part of the scene at The Fair was a relatively easy one. Hopefully football will enjoy a renaissance and re-appear at The Fair soon but for now soccer is the sport of choice at the school for the vast majority of the boys and hopefully a large crowd, football fans too, will be there to support them. Kick-off is at 7pm on Friday 14th - Go Panthers!!

If you’re going, have a wonderful time at The Fair - check me out at “The Best Bird of Prey” exhibit…Until then, let us prey…
Humbly yours…Turkey Vulture…..
You can contact me with words of support/abuse either through the Letters Page or by e-mail at…turkeyvulture1@earthlink.net
Quiz Answers…
1. Back in 1927
2. The Sheep Dog Trials
3. On that infamous night nearly sixty years ago there were a reported fourteen separate fights at The Fair. Just boys (and girls?) having a little fun, I’m sure…