Ramona Country Fair Opens Thursday

The Ramona Country Fair is back.

The annual event, which has been sponsored by the Ramona Chamber of Commerce since 1970, begins Thursday and runs through Sunday. 

Visitors can taste wine from Ramona wineries and a beer garden will serve a variety of beers. There'll be rides for children and adults, and vendors will display their wares and provide food.

The Country Fair originated one year after the Junior Livestock Show got its start at the local fairgrounds. Chamber directors at that time anticipated the fair as a way to bring more visitors to Ramona and garner money for the chamber.

Craig Jung, executive director of the chamber, calls the fair a “down-sized version of what you might find at Del Mar.” LaDawn Jung is setting up vendors for the four-day fair.

There will be 36 vendors. Several of them will be cooking hamburgers, hot dogs and Mexican cuisine, as well as kettle corn and funnel cake.

Other vendors will be selling candles, hats, jewelry, toys and other items.

Christiansen Amusements, with headquarters in Ramona, will have carnival rides for children and adults. There will be ongoing entertainment in the pavilion, including semi-final and final competitions for contestants who previously qualified for the Ramona Idol contest.

Games and crafts for children will take place each afternoon, including egg toss, three-legged and relay races and a frozen T-shirt contest.

Ramona Country Fair opens at 5 p.m. Thursday and runs through 7 p.m. Sunday at Ramona Outdoor Community Center, 421 Aqua Lane. Opening ceremonies will begin at 6 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and at noon on Saturday and Sunday.

Admission is free but there will be a parking fee to benefit local youth organizations. For more information, call the chamber office at 760-789-1311.