You could say that Salene Duarte has been completely fixated on the Santa Clara County Fair ever since she first showed animals on the fairgrounds on the age of nine.
When the eightieth edition of this South Bay tradition opens next Thursday, it should mark the fortieth anniversary of the involvement of Duarte, who has served as fair manager since 2019 and this yr took on the role of co-managing director of Fairgrounds Management Corp.
“I don't consider it work,” said Duarte, 48, as she walked through the fairgrounds on Tully Road in San Jose. “I enjoy coming here every day.”
She hopes more families will enjoy coming to the fair this yr because it celebrates its milestone July 25-28 and August 1-4 with the theme “80 Years of Innovation: From the Fields to the Future.” There will probably be a grand opening on opening day and youngsters under 12 will probably be admitted free. A parade is planned for July 27 and August 3 will probably be one other jam-packed day with the firefighters' chili cook-off, a community day for individuals with special needs and the youth livestock auction.
Favorites include rides, magic shows and pig racing, in addition to reptiles, BMX stunts and robots. But this yr there are also monster truck rides, a mini circus show and a brand new partnership with Tech Interactive that brings interactive exhibits to the fair. Live entertainment on the Pavilion Stage includes tribute bands for Santana, the Beatles and Elvis, the 408 Collective, the Hitmen and Sonora San Jose. For more information, including tickets, visit www.thefair.org.
Of course, the 4H and Future Farmers of America livestock shows have special meaning for Duarte, who lives in San Jose. She began showing sheep and pigs as a toddler and switched to dairy cattle in highschool. When she was a senior at Westmont High within the early Nineteen Nineties, her mother oversaw the awards program, and when her mother decided to step down, Duarte took over. She even met her husband, David Duarte, once they showed livestock together at a show in Plymouth, California, and all three of her children have participated either as volunteers or as livestock exhibitors.
She was hired as fair director when COVID-19 turned every little thing the other way up. The fairgrounds were converted right into a testing after which vaccination site by the county health department, but Duarte kept the livestock portion of the fair going by making it virtual. But she's greater than thrilled that the fair is back so Santa Clara County residents can enjoy it in person again.
“I love the feeling I had when I came to the fair and I still do,” Duarte said. “Although the fair has changed significantly since I started, today's kids still have the same fun hanging out with their friends and riding the rides.”
Bells of Honor: Bellarmine College Prep has announced that a stellar class of graduates will probably be inducted into its Hall of Fame next month, including developer and philanthropist John A. Sobrato, who graduated from the Jesuit school for boys in 1956. Sobrato will probably be honored Aug. 24 together with writer Frank Bergon, oncologist John Glaspy and the college's 2001 wrestling team, which captured Bellarmine's first and only Central Coast Section title in the game.
NEW CHALLENGE: When Irene Wong left the David and Lucile Packard Foundation last August after 15 years, many assumed it wouldn't be long before she returned to a leadership role in Silicon Valley's philanthropic sector. Those people can pick up their prize on the door, since the Palo Alto Community Fund has announced Wong as its first female executive director.
Susan Fields Bailey, PACF's board chair, says Wong's extensive background makes her the precise person to guide the organization into its next phase of growth and advance local philanthropy in Palo Alto, East Palo Alto and Menlo Park. And Wong is not any stranger to this type of growth, having served because the eBay Foundation's first executive director and CEO.
NINER WATCH: With 49ers training camp already underway, don't be surprised should you see some players in the realm. Team captain Fred Warner, for instance, will probably be at a Verizon store at 690 Blossom Hill Road in San Jose at 5 p.m. Monday to greet fans together with Gold Rush cheerleaders and mascot Sourdough Sam. In this case, the looks is a component of a brand new partnership between Verizon and the 49ers.
Of course, you may as well see many more players should you were lucky enough to get tickets for the 10 open training sessions on the SAP Performance Center at Levi's Stadium between July 25 and August 8, “87 Day” – an annual event to honor the late 49ers legend Dwight Clark and lift awareness for ALS. Tickets – which profit the 49ers Foundation – went on sale Monday for season ticket holders and Thursday for everybody else and sold out quickly.
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