# 127 - September 10th, 2008

Greetings one and all…Are you sitting comfortably?...Then I shall begin…So, are you ready to “get your Fair on”??!! It’s that time again and the festivities get underway on Friday when the gates open at 9am with all the usual fun ‘stuff’ to see and do. That evening shall see the Apple Cup Soccer match at 7pm featuring the A.V.H.S. Boys vs. arch-rivals Mendocino – “Come on you Panthers - let’s keep the Cup here in Boonville and send the Fog-Dwelling Cardinals back to the Coast with a second successive defeat in this showpiece game!”
With The Fair as the obvious theme, here’s the Valley Quiz for this week…Answers at the end…
1. In which year did the Fair first feature Sheep Dog Trials?
2. How many Mendocino County Fairs have happened up to now?
3. How holds the record for being the longest serving Fair Manager?
One of the sponsors of the Fair is The Anderson Valley Brewery and it is with regret that I announce that Head Brewer Neil Atkins, his lovely wife Courtney, and their five-year old son Owen, have decided to move to new and different pastures on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts where Neil will be a head brewer at The Off Shore Ale Brewery. It's sad news for their friends and a big blow to the Brewery as once again a highly valued and top quality employee has left. Why does this keep happening over there at Ken's “Castle”? I couldn’t possibly comment…
And as usual let’s have a relevant Quote of the Week…This is a little gem from the one and only Bill (William) Shakespeare, who perhaps is showing particularly keen insight to the workings at our local brew house when he says, “Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown”…
Talking of “Those who would be King”, I’m sure many of you have noticed that large sign alongside the huge development opposite Golden Eye Vineyards on Hwy.128 just south of Philo. It features the names of the construction companies that have been working on the project that will soon see the opening of yet another winery facility and tasting room. According to the sign, this blot on the landscape of the Valley is called Jim Ball Vineyards and is owned, not surprisingly, by the clearly not too modest Jim Ball of Chicago. According to the workers I spoke to he is a “nice guy” and I also learnt that he is a descendent of one of the white families who settled in the Valley during the mid 19th century - hopefully not from those who committed some of the worst atrocities against native Americans anywhere in the country – see “The Mendocino Papers – Vol. 1” by Bruce Anderson. Anyway, as for his employees on this project, a few of the companies listed are from the Ukiah/Willets/Kelseyville areas but others are from much further a-field. None of the workers I met are from the Valley and they did not know anybody who was. Some are from many, many miles away – the Chicago area in fact. It would be nice to think that before taking vast amounts of water from the Valley to help add to his already large fortune, at least Mr. Ball could have seen to it that the Valley was thanked in some way – with jobs for instance. Furthermore, isn’t a sign thanking workers from other areas a little unnecessary? Anyone would think these guys were firefighters for god’s sake! Surely Mr. Ball could have asked one of his administrative minions to pass out “Thank you’ cards instead of erecting a large gaudy sign with his own name at the top. Dear, oh dear…please pass the sick bag, Bruce…Next week in part two of “The Rich get Richer in The Valley” we feature that monstrosity opposite Breggo Cellars on Hwy.128; a.k.a. “Bill Hill’s Big Hole”…
Moving on to far more pleasant topics, once again Dave and his crew at the Navarro Store played hosts to a fine evening of entertainment last Saturday as the Live Summer Music series continued down in The Deep End. This time round it was Les Tar and The Smoke Detectors, accompanied by the excellent saxophonist Lauren Johnson, who had the dance floor filled and the beers flowing. Pablo on the grill saw to it that everyone who ate his bar-b-q enjoyed a tasty and hearty meal, and when the encore featuring a cover of The Band’s great song “The Weight” gave the crowd the opportunity to join in on the chorus, it was one of the highlights of the season…Great stuff…

Well, now I think it’s certainly time to take my leave...Enjoy the Fair, be careful out there, stay out of the ditches, remember to keep your windows cracked if you have pets in your vehicle, think good thoughts, and may your god go with you…Oh, and of course, one final request, “Let us prey”…Humbly yours, Turkey Vulture…
P.S. “Hi, Silver Swan and Duck Lips –see you on the Ferris wheel!”
You can contact me with words of support/abuse by e-mail at
turkeyvulture1 @ earthlink.net….
Quiz Answers…
1. In 1976 – and the dogs and their handlers will be dealing with the often-irrational sheep once again at the usual time - Sunday at 10am…
2. There have been 80 Fairs since the first one in 1927, making this year’s the 81st…Actually, the first eleven Fairs were called “The Apple Show” and it was not until 1938 that the first “Mendocino County Fair and Apple Show” took place.
3. Harwood June was Manager for 19 years from 1937 to 1956, narrowly edging out Jim Clow who later served for 17 years.