Midori Kelso, 4, gets a high-five from Bella, a plant quarantine detector dog, Tuesday on opening day of the Santa Cruz County Fair.

A light drizzle and heavy gray clouds greeted visitors to the opening day of the Santa Cruz County Fair on Tuesday, but spirits were not dampened by the weather, nor was attendance.

Crowds filed in through the front gates as usual, this time greeted by Miss Santa Cruz County Fair Queen Irina Scurich. Dressed in a beautiful white gown and a crown atop her head, the 17-year-old Aptos High student was following in the footsteps of her mother, who was the fair queen 32 years ago. Scurich will have a host of responsibilities, from participating in the parades to presenting the prize for the best apple pie.

“It’s amazing to be out here,” she said. “I just want to say ‘hi’ to everybody and greet the little children — just make everybody happy.”

With a robot by her side making its own salutations, the scene looked like something out of a Disney movie. Made of gleaming metal and wearing a Driscoll outfit, some might have wondered if this was the answer to the strawberry industry’s labor shortage, but the robot was really a promotional tool. Twenty feet away from the robot, holding a plastic cup with one hand and talking into a straw, Jewels Bamburger operated the shiny humanoid with his other hand inside a bag. Since Bamburger looked like any other spectator, many people clearly didn’t understand how the robot was able to move and speak to them.

“It’s an alien!” shrieked one little girl, looking closer to try to determine if somebody was inside it.

Bamburger said the “alien” was owned by Atlas Robotics in Santa Rosa. The robot is hired for fairs all over the world, from London

to Saudi Arabia. “He likes to answer questions,” Bamburger said. “He likes to see if kids can guess his weight or answer science questions. If they get the answers right, he might have a surprise.”

While the robot certainly stopped many curious people in their tracks, most people came to the fair for more “old-fashioned” fun. Ken and Kathy Colby made the trek from Morgan Hill because the Santa Cruz County Fair reminds them of how they think a fair should be.

“I like to come here and look at the old tractors and the farm animals,” Ken Colby said. “They still have animals here like they did 50 to 75 years ago. I come here every year.”

Bob Burns of San Juan Bautista came with his wife, Sally. Sally comes to see the flowers and the arts and crafts, while Bob said he likes the animals.

“This is one of the best fairs around,” Sally Burns said. “I always look forward to new ideas for quilts and crafts. They usually have a lot of projects that get me motivated ... but whether or not I ever actually do them ...”

Sisters Beth and Ardith Porter were strolling through the fair’s Horticulture Department Tuesday. Their family moved to the area 30 years ago and they said they have not missed a fair since. For Beth, there isn’t one attraction that draws her to the fair’s opening day — it’s all of them.

“The ag barbecue, the free ice cream social, the cinnamon buns, the beautiful flowers, the artwork ... I could go on and on,” she said, “did I miss anything?”

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The Santa Cruz County Fair runs through Sunday. Tickets cost $10 for adults and children ages 12 and older, $6 for children ages 5 to 11, and $6 for seniors ages 62 and older. The fair opens at noon and closes at 11 p.m. Today’s highlights include steer daubing and adult livestock showmanship at 7 p.m. as well as country musician Josh Gracin at 7:30 p.m.

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*Photos by Tarmo Hannula*

(Published in 9/10/08 edition)

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