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The Alameda County Fairgrounds is really picking up momentum as we turn the corner into the second quarter of 2024.
In response to Golden Gate Fields’ impending closure, the California Horse Racing Board last week awarded major meets scheduled between October and December to the historic racetrack at the fairgrounds – a move that could be a significant boon for Pleasanton this fall.
“The chance to host more racing is exciting. The Alameda County Fairgrounds is home to the oldest one-mile racetrack in America. Horse racing has been embedded in the fabric of Pleasanton since 1858, and we are happy to bring it back home to where it all started,” Alameda County Fairgrounds CEO Jerome Hoban told me on Wednesday. “The Tri-Valley has great racing fans and is located near the 580/680 interchange, BART and the ACE Train making Pleasanton an ideal location to grow the sport.”
These new meets, which expect to elevate the Tri-Valley to the center of the horse racing universe for Northern California and beyond for months, will be in addition to the familiar race slate on the docket during this year’s Alameda County Fair – which includes the Pleasanton Mile stakes race on July 7 offering one of the largest prize winnings of $150,000.
Details also continue to roll out about the 2024 county fair in Pleasanton, themed “That Summer Feeling” and running on Wednesdays through Sundays from June 14 to July 7.
In particular, fair officials are unveiling the roster for the Big O Tires Concert Series week by week. They’re about halfway through the list.
The most recent batch, revealed this Wednesday morning, included rising country singer-songwriter Ashley Cooke on June 15, Colombian music group Sonora Tropicana on June 16 and CCR tribute band Revisiting Creedence on June 28.
Last week, we learned about the concerts featuring 1980s/90s vocal group Exposé (known for “Seasons Change” among other hits) on June 21, Twist on Taylor (Taylor Swift cover act) on June 22 and 2000s rock band The Fray (“How to Save a Life”) on June 27.
Also on the calendar so far are Bay Area rap legend E-40 on June 20, Grammy nominee Hunter Hayes on July 5 and ’80s rock tribute group Fast Times on July 6. The rest of the performers are due out in the coming weeks.
The racing and concert announcements provide an ideal lead-in for a busy April at the fairgrounds.
Next Thursday (April 4) will mark the start of the San Francisco Bay Flower & Garden Show. Running daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through April 7, the show promises “spectacular indoor and outdoor flower displays, top floral experts, an interactive kid’s display and more,” according to fairgrounds officials.
Also next weekend, the facility will host the annual Golden Gate AHA Arabian & Half Arabian Horse Show from April 6-7.
The 36th annual Spring Home Show will arrive from April 12-14, with a range of home and yard design and renovation experts, plus the opportunity to shop for custom kitchens, bathrooms, landscaping, doors, floors and more.
Alongside that weekend will be the sixth annual Tri-Valley Innovation Fair, a showcase of local ingenuity that is free and designed for the entire family on April 13 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the Exotic Bird Mart & Expo on April 14 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
StumpyCon – “for vertically challenged pups and their humans – will be the center of attention on April 20 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
And on the final Sunday of the month (April 28), the fairgrounds will host the Pleasanton Partnerships in Education Foundation’s Pleasanton Run for Education in the morning and the CSHA Region 5 Spring Stampede horse show throughout the day.
This month is also an important time for those interested in entering the 2024 Alameda County Fair Wine Competition, which is open only to local wineries commercially bonded in the county. Submissions for the “Alameda County”, “Best of the Blends” and “Zin and Sauvignon Summit” divisions can be made until April 26.
As much as the Alameda County Fair is about featuring competition winners in all sorts of disciplines, the fairgrounds itself is not to be outdone most years.
Just recently, the organization earned 42 awards in all (its highest count ever) between the Western Fairs Association and International Association of Fairs and Expositions for performances in marketing, innovations, events, photography and other categories in 2023.
I can’t wait to see what types of successes are in store for the fairgrounds for the rest of 2024.
Editor’s note: Jeremy Walsh is the editorial director for the Embarcadero Media Foundation’s East Bay Division. His “What a Week” column is a recurring feature in the Pleasanton Weekly.