The Sandoval County Fair: A Retrospective

A few years ago, I went with my family on a road trip through Arizona and New Mexico for vacation. Along the way, we visited many historical attractions and natural landmarks that warrant article posts of their own. Some of these include the Albuquerque Museum and the Grand Canyon. However, the experience that was the Sandoval County Fair in Cuba, New Mexico, was neither historical or natural, and was unplanned.

Despite that, it was one of the most memorable parts of the trip.

Here is my story about how we came across the fair and what we experienced when we arrived there.

Getting to the Fair

It all started at a Subway, in Cuba, New Mexico, of all places. We stopped to snatch a quick lunch on our way to Santa Fe and rest a bit. After I finished eating, I got bored, and earlier I eyed a full magazine rack that was near our table with a sign that said- “FREE- TAKE ONE!”

So, I did.

After reading it for a while, I quickly realized that the magazine was a brochure for the 39^th annual Sandoval County Fair. Apparently, it began as a humble, small event held at Cuba’s middle school.

Over time, with growing financial investment and popularity from both locals and tourists alike, the fair became the hit that it is today.

After telling my parents about this, we were all were intrigued. We then searched through the brochure to look for the fair’s location to no avail.

So, we decided to ask some of Subway’s workers for guidance.

One of them answered, “Oh, the fair, yeah? That fair is actually not too far from here. It’s only about a five to ten minute drive,” and then gave us the directions as to how to get to the fair.

We thanked them for the information and went on our way.

Reaching the Fair

A Soggy Start

Once we arrived, we were greeted with rainy weather and several pop-up tents and buildings in the distance.

After scanning our situation, we decided to make a run for it for the nearest shelter from the rain.

We ran through dirt paths dotted with tourists and tents where people were selling their goods.

Eventually, we found a beige, box building that could keep us dry.

Strangely, while it had a simple design on the outside, there was music playing as well as a large amount of goods and people inside that made it seem lively.

Curious, as well as desperate to escape the rain’s cold and wet clutches, we went inside.

Inside the Fair’s Building

What we discovered inside was a treasure trove of beautifully intricate, locally handmade crafts, like:

Metal frames;
Paintings; and
Quilts

They were competing against each other for awards and recognition at the fair.

Additionally, there were also many poster board projects created by students about a wide variety of topics.

Some of these diverse topics included:

Rabbit caretaking;
Archery’s benefits; and
Different feather shapes and how to tell them apart

About The Building’s Works

I was curious as to why these works were being displayed here.

Quickly, I noticed a weird symbol in both my brochure and on the pieces of work that were giving credit to the people who did it: 4-H.

That got me thinking: What is 4-H exactly, and how does that relate to these works?

Well, it turned out that 4-H is a 100 year old organization run by the USDA, or the US Department of Agriculture.

It helps kids from various backgrounds with creating a solid mental, physical, and social foundation for themselves as they grow up. The organization uses the arts and STEM to aid the youth on their journey.

All of us admired the work that went into the projects for several minutes as well as some art pieces that 4-H students made.

Photos from the Fair

Here are some photos of works made by both 4-H and non 4-H members that I took while I was in the building:

This are some of the projects that I saw displayed in the building.

This is one of the beautiful quilts that I saw, which I loved due to its vibrant colors.

These are many different types of projects done by 4-H members.

Here are some more quilts that I also liked due to their colorful and interesting patterns.

Here are some photos of container gardens made by 4-H participants.

Here is one last photo of an interesting quilt with the American flag on it.

After looking at the works, we left the building and talked to some of the local businesses that were in the tents nearby since the weather improved. They were all friendly, and we enjoyed chatting together. We especially enjoyed their reactions when we told them that we were from out of state!

Unfortunately, we did not see the rest of the fair, which included rodeos, cooking competitions, a Native American Pow-Wow, and more because we had to go back on the road towards Santa Fe and make it there before it got too late.

But hey, it gives us a reason to come back one day and visit!

And I definitely will, as it opened a small window that helped me to understand what it is like to live in a rural area as well as increased my appreciation for locally-created products.

I hope that you enjoyed this article about my adventure at the Sandoval County Fair!

While writing this article, I felt sad that due to the current state of the US due to the pandemic, I will not be able to attend an event like that for a while. However, writing this helped me treasure experiences like this in a whole new way.