Every year, as the fleeting summer days pass, staff and volunteers at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds prepare for the coming fair, which is at once a community celebration of the region’s agricultural bounty and an embrace of autumn.
The first step in the Herculean effort of organizing the fair has been planting the flowers that will welcome visitors with splashes of color from gardens throughout the property.
About 50 volunteers came on July 27, wielding trowels and wearing sun hats to place roughly 1,500 plants, which were donated by Dave and John Cavanaugh of Cavanaugh Color in Watsonville.
“We’re planting the flowers that will be beautiful for everyone who comes to the fair,” said Jeannie Kegebein, executive director of the Fairgrounds Foundation, the nonprofit that led the effort.
The volunteer effort allows staff to help with the ongoing reorganization, which includes new manager Zeke Fraser.
Kegebein said that volunteers are always welcome and needed to help the fair be successful.
“We like to engage the community in everything possible that has to do with the fair,” she said. “There are all kinds of volunteer opportunities, and this is the first.”
