The ever-popular Gravenstein Apple Fair is scheduled for August 13-14 2011 in Sebastopol, CA. 
Here’s an overview from the official website:
The Gravenstein Apple Fair is hosted by Sonoma County Farm Trails and has a long and rich history in Sonoma County. Sebastopol staged it’s first Apple Show in 1910 on Main Street in a tent across from the Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railway Depot.
This small event celebrating the tart but sweet apple called the Gravenstein became an annual bash occurring every August, focused on showcasing apples and apple products during the peak of their season.
The fair annually sported huge custom structures for front entrance gates and elaborate apple displays by local packing plants, canneries and apple drying companies. Processing and marketing apples had become big business.
Sculptors were hired to build ¼ scale buildings and even a locomotive out of whole fresh and dried sliced apples. Those early fairs had a carnival like atmosphere and were attended by people from all over the United States.
Today, the Gravenstein Apple Fair continues the tradition of celebrating and exhibiting apples, combined with fantastic live music on two stages, great food, cooking demonstrations from local chefs, arts and crafts booths, a petting zoo, pony rides and so much more. Visitors experience the feeling of an old time country get-together, you can throw darts at apples, ride in a wagon pulled by plow horses, shop the local artisan booths for handmade jewelry, clothing, pottery and gourmet goodies. There are fun activities, like the Hay Maze for the kids, kid focused performances, bee keeper displays, and a fine selection of local wine and brews for the adults.
What kind of a fair would it be without contests – local home cooks can enter a pie in the Apple Pie Baking contest sponsored by the Sebastopol Chamber of Commerce or adults and children can enter the Pie Eating Contest, the no-hands Caramel Apple Eating Contest, Applesauce Drinking Contest and the Apple Juggling Contest. There is no doubt that the Gravenstein Apple Fair is one of the most kid-friendly festivals of the year, but it’s fun for adults as well. With an incredible selection of food, a wine tent featuring award winning wine from all over Sonoma County and two beer tents, there truly is something for everyone.
The 2011 Gravenstein Apple Fair promises to be an incredible year of music, food, crafts and activities. The Fair has a great line-up of live music, featuring; Gator Beat, Tom Rigney & Flambeau, Mitch Woods & His Rocket 88’s, Solid Air, Country All Stars, Joe Goldmark and the Seducers, The Fondettes, One World Band, Edge of Town, Grandpa Banana Band, and the String Rays. The fair also offers two additional stages with cooking demonstrations and a “Life on the Farm” stage that features live farm shows with activities like milking a goat or shearing a sheep.
Don’t miss the Fair, August 13th & 14th at Ragle Ranch Park, 10-6 on Saturday and 10-5 on Sunday. See you at the fair!
This country fair showcases the 
