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Thousands of residents crowded in and around downtown Pleasanton on Friday morning to watch as dozens of steers were herded down Main Street to mark the start of the Alameda County Fair at the nearby fairgrounds.
The cattle drive, a new attraction for the annual fair, saw about 60 wranglers on horseback — plus a few canine helpers — lead the 150 steers and a short parade procession from the Alameda County Fairgrounds through downtown, and then over to Bernal Avenue and back to the fairgrounds.
The drive went off pretty much without a hitch, except for a couple cows wandering briefly into a yard on Division Street early on.
And boy was it popular, as the large crowds lining Main and adjoining streets rivaled turnout seen at the Hometown Holiday Celebration parade downtown each year.
It was a fitting spectacle to usher in the start of the 2017 county fair, whose opening three days is themed as “Western Weekend.”
The fair opened Friday morning and runs through July 9 — except for closed days on June 19, 20, 26, 27. Hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. each day at the fairgrounds at the corner of Valley and Bernal avenues.
For ticket prices and other fair information, visit the official website here.
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(Photo by Mike Sedlak/mike@digitalsight.com) -
(Photo by Mike Sedlak/mike@digitalsight.com) -
Wranglers lead the cattle for the procession. (Photo by Mike Sedlak/mike@digitalsight.com) -
(Photo by Mike Sedlak/mike@digitalsight.com) -
(Photo by Mike Sedlak/mike@digitalsight.com) -
(Photo by Mike Sedlak/mike@digitalsight.com) -
Thousands crowded downtown streets to watch the fair’s steer spectacle. (Photo by Mike Sedlak/mike@digitalsight.com) -
A cattle drive through downtown Pleasanton marked the start of this year’s Alameda County Fair. (Photo by Mike Sedlak/mike@digitalsight.com) -
(Photo by Mike Sedlak/mike@digitalsight.com) -
(Photo by Mike Sedlak/mike@digitalsight.com) -
(Photo by Mike Sedlak/mike@digitalsight.com) -
(Photo by Mike Sedlak/mike@digitalsight.com) -
(Photo by Mike Sedlak/mike@digitalsight.com)
This was great! My husband and I have lived here 22 years and thought this was the best kick off to the Fair, ever! The whole town was there!! Thank you to all those who made this possible, including the horses and dogs! This was a treat to see and I know every single adult and child seated near us thoroughly enjoyed it!! This is just one of the things that makes Pleasanton such a fun place to live!
Great event! I hope it becomes an annual tradition.
When I first saw the photo, I immediately thought of Pleasanton, Texas, “The Home of the Cowboy”. They tend to call us “The Other Pleasanton”. The Pleasanton Weekly had a nice article on the Texas town in 2008. An enjoyable, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, website, http://pleasanton.jackkeller.net/index.asp, gives a little history and picture of our sister town.
@ Henry,
I once ate at the Town House Cafe on Main Street, Pleasanton, TX. They even let me keep a menu, since at the time Vic’s was then called the Town House Cafe in Pleasanton, CA. Too fun.
Can we have the cattle drive kick off a fair parade like we used to have in the old days?? It was really fun but very short