RIO LINDA, CA (MPG) - The Rio Linda-Elverta Country Faire and EXPO celebrated its 9th annual free family fun event on Saturday, September 17^th. This very entertaining community celebration was held at 6730 Depot Park in Rio Linda and included multiple venues.

The committee overseeing the Country Faire and EXPO hopes to make the annual event a “showcasing [of] the skills and talents of the Rio Linda-Elverta Community.”  The concept was to make it an old-time, free country fair and included categories from arts, floriculture, crafts, foods, needle arts and weaving, among others.

In the Rio Linda Community Center were exhibits highlighting contributions exclusively from the Rio Linda and Elverta areas. The Rio Linda Elverta Grange #403 and the Country Faire cooperated with the event, displaying items varied, colorful, imaginative that showed off local skills.

In addition to the EXPO at the Community Center, the area boasted over one hundred vendor booths, food trucks, a stage with live entertainment, and an area for 4-H animal judging. In the 4-H section, each animal had its own competition and time slot. This included swine, rabbit, poultry and miniature horses.

Between the EXPO and 4-H areas were the popular, free hayrides pulled by tractor courtesy of H and K Family Farms out of Gibson Ranch connecting the Community Center and library parking lot. The Faire was large enough that a ride was a welcome respite for families with young children, people working the event and those just looking for the added ambiance of a hayride.

H and K Family Farms was founded in 2013 by Maceo Hart-Kapic. It was originally located on the historical Gibson Ranch County Park and now is on three main farm sites. Maceo informed everyone that Gibson Ranch will have a pumpkin patch from October 1-31, 2022, on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Also, there is an Oktoberfest car and boat show at Dry Creek Ranch House on October 1, 2022, from 9 am to 2 pm sponsored by the Rio Linda Elverta Lions Club.

Another very active member of the local Lions Club is Gene Kypke. Along with Kris McCandless-Ford, he is a member of the committee that puts the annual Faire event together. Gene was exhibiting his hobby which included dressing in medieval garb as part of the Rogues of the Golden Coast.

They delighted the attendees with displays of live cannon shots with three cannons, one personally made by one of the women at the event. Rogues of the Golden Coast is “a blast from the past” and is a cannon troop based out of Sacramento with over a decade of Black Powder experience.

A safe distance from the shooting cannons was the area with rides, bounce houses, games and a climbing wall. Children like siblings Jackson and Addison waited in line for the bucking bull ride after they had visited the free face painting area. They enjoyed themselves and their parents were particularly glad that everything offered was free. After being bucked off the popular bull ride, they went to the climbing wall. Adding to the fun were also two bungee swings that brought great excitement to the rides.

One of the promised attractions not disappointing was a stilt-walker named appropriately Mezzanine Beecomb. She walked the area interacting with the kids, bending down to high five the young ones. Based out of Sausalito, she has been walking on stilts for more than fifteen years through her company Circus Modern. Her act “is a nouveau cirque performance collective and talent agency, transform[ing] events with fearless cirque and fire entertainment.”

Kris McCandless-Ford was found near the hayrides also joining those getting their faces painted. As the chair of the board that puts the large event together each year, McCandless-Ford and is excited about next year’s faire. It is a major undertaking for so many different parts of the faire and the committee works closely with local groups such as the Lions Club, the Grange, and 4-H.

Rio Linda Elverta Country Faire helps to celebrate Rio Linda and Elverta’s once rural roots while encouraging and valuing family and small-town community in the larger metropolis of Sacramento.

Community members are encouraged to participate in next year’s fair and seek information about submitting items at www.riolindaelvertacountryfaire.com.