CLICK HERE if you are having a problem viewing the photos on a mobile device
For the past several months, Marcella Gulmon has been immersed in the Santa Clara County Fair like few other people. And not just the 75th fair, which opens a four-day run at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds on Thursday, but the first and the 10th and the 50th.
Gulmon has been assembling a historical exhibit for the Fairgrounds Heritage Foundation that celebrates the fairgrounds’ history going back to its opening in 1941, and even as far back as when the land was acquired. She’s found photos, posters, buttons and other ephemera — many with the image of the Cheery Farmer, the County Fair icon that was picked in a contest in its earliest years. The bearded man, with his long yellow coat, glasses, suitcase and corncob pipe, beckoned “Hi, Neighbors!” and urged folks to visit the fair. A Cheery Farmer cutout will be on hand at Heritage Hall for visitors to take selfies with.
It’s been a process, though, to put everything together. “As I started to do the project, I realized there isn’t any cohesive historical record,” said Gulmon, who became involved in the fair more than a decade ago when her daughter raised animals with 4-H. History San Jose and the Santa Clara County archives were good resources, but much of the material in the collection has come from individuals and historical museums throughout the county. Even if they only had a couple of photographs to offer, she gladly accepted.
A key resource for Gulmon has been Jack Rouleau, 89, who has been to every county fair since 1941 except for four years in the mid-’50s when he was in the Air Force. He lives in El Dorado now, but still works as an auctioneer and runs the petting zoo. He expects this to be his last trip to San Jose for the fair because of his age, but he’s been providing Gulmon with material and memories, helping to identify people in photos and events from decades past.
Of course, the fairgrounds and the fair, which was not held during World War II, have had ups and downs since 1941, but Gulmon is trying to accentuate the positive. Some people cherish the music shows at the now-demolished grandstand, the sprint cars of San Jose Speedway or the old bars for animal exhibitions. Those are all gone, but that doesn’t mean they’re forgotten.
“Everybody’s memories are valid, and every decade has its good points,” she said. “That’s what I’m trying to showcase.” Ironically, the era that she’s most lacking in material is the past two decades, and she’s hoping that the latest generation of fairgoers has memories to share.
The exhibition, which is at the Heritage Hall near the fairgrounds entrance, is expected to be an ongoing — and growing — display. Hans Toensfeldt, another member of the Fairgrounds Heritage Foundation who has a long association with the fair, said it’s important to remember that the fairgrounds is home to a lot more than just the county fair, providing a venue for hundreds of events every year that draw thousands of people.
Those events are part of the fairgrounds’ heritage, he said, and they want to include them, too. “We want to be inclusive and we want to make this for people who have a passion for anything that happened at the fairgrounds,” he said.
You can check out the foundation’s website at fairgroundsfoundationscc.org, and if you have material you’d like to add to the collection, contact Gulmon at marcella.fairhistory@gmail.com.
BLOCK PARTY IS BACK: After a successful event last year, the African American Community Services Agency and Antioch Baptist Church in San Jose are teaming up for another community block party on Saturday between 1 and 6 p.m. The 200 block of East Julian Street will be closed, and activities include a fish fry and barbecue, along with a bounce house, live music and dancing. For more information, go to aacsablockparty2019.eventbrite.com.