Not that there’s anything wrong with the modern incarnation of the state fair—Led Zeppelin tribute bands aside—but come fall, we start yearning for something a little more traditional. A little more … harvesty.
So we’ll be heading to the fifth annual National Heirloom Expo at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa, which runs September 8–10 (admission is $15). The heritage breeds here include not just gloriously bizarre tomatoes but also the likes of Suri alpacas, Silver rabbits, Ancona ducks, and four-horned Navajo-Churro sheep.
Plus bluegrass bands and gospel singers, an antique tractor show, a rooster crowing competition, and, of course, the return of the giant pyramid o’ squash.