Barnyard Fun

SARALEE & RICHARD' BARN

A SPECIAL PLACE FOR KIDS AND ADULTS TO LEARN ABOUT LIFE ON THE FARM AT THE SONOMA COUNTY FAIR

Helping those already familiar with agriculture is only part of Richard and Saralee's legacy. They wanted to teach those who had never raised an animal or grown their own food what it was all about. Their desire culminated in the Sweet Lil's Farmery, named after Saralee's mother, where both parents and children can learn the basics of agriculture.

At Sweet Lil's, you'll find faux cow "milking", baby chicks hatching and a host of other ag-tivities. Drive a tractor, venture into the hay maze, or visit the little pigs in their straw, wood and brick houses. Get in on the buzz with beekeepers and learn how important our pollinators are for farming. There are corn boxes and a chance to visit baby farm animals and their mothers. It's a special place to learn, play and be down home on the farm.

For more information on Saralee & Richard' Barn visit our Fair Foundation page.

GREAT AMERICAN PETTING ZOO

For those who want to get even closer to the animals, the Great American Petting Zoo is open from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm daily during Fair. Where else can you pet a deer, get nuzzled by a Pygmy goat or licked by a llama? Enjoy touching and feeding the animals every day at the Great American Petting Zoo. The zoo contains a wide variety of animals including llamas, Fallow Deer, African Pygmy Goats, assorted exotic and domestic goats and sheep, Vietnamese Potbellied Pigs, Bantam Chickens, miniature Sicilian Donkeys, miniature Call Ducks, and baby animals born all year long. Ours is a very different kind of petting zoo.

THE MILK BARN

Fairgoers love the Milk Barn, where they can watch cows being milked and learn about Sonoma County's famous dairy industry, known for innovation and leadership in producing some of the highest quality products anywhere in the world.

Milking times vary August 9-13.

CATTLE BARNS

This Fair favorite houses both Dairy and Beef Cattle. Did you know cows spend 8 hours chewing their cud every day and a dairy cow can produce 6-8 gallons of milk a day? Dairy and Beef Cattle on display August 4-10.

Dairy Cattle on display August 9 - 13
Beef Cattle on display August 3 - 6; 9-10

SHEEP & GOATS

Showing sheep and goats at the Sonoma County Fair is a fun and educational experience. Did you know that both sheep and goats have 32 teeth, but neither have upper front teeth?

Sheep on display August 3 - 6; 10-13
Goats on display August 4-9

FUR & FEATHERS

Exhibitors at the Sonoma County Fair are excited to share their poultry, cavie, and rabbit projects with the public! Did you know that cavie is a fancy name for Guinea Pig?... Or that a rabbit's ears help them regulate their body temperature?... Or that Chickens are the closet living relatives to the tyrannosaurus-rex. Check-out the Fur and Feathers Barn to learn more about these small creatures.

Poultry on display August 4- 5; 7-10
Cavies (Guinea Pigs) on display August 11 - 13
Rabbits on display August 3-6; 11 - 13

SWINE BARNS

For young farmers, it's a pleasure to drive a well-trained and groomed pig into a show ring. Every day the pigs on display during the Fair are cared for in preparation for their big debut.

Pigs on display August 3- 5; 11 - 13