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Wet day dampens Colusa Farm Show crowd
WHEN: Today — 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thursday — 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
WHERE: Colusa County Fairgrounds, 1303 10th St., Colusa
COST: Free admission and parking
PHONE: 458-2641
Analise Creek knew what to do in the rain.
The young future farmer, whose grandfather is a dairyman in the Orland area, was puddle jumping her way through the opening day of the 47th annual Colusa Farm Show on Tuesday.
"We come here every year to look at the equipment," said Charlie Creek, Analise's father, who grew up dairy ranching but is now in the security industry out of Sacramento.
He said his favorite part of the Farm Show this year was the Tuff Stuff Jerky, which is made in Browns Valley.
Coffee vendors also were doing a brisk business as a small but hardy group of visitors walked around the rain-soaked Colusa County Fairgrounds.
"We have not had one like this for a long time," said Rick Kelley of Kern Tractor Parts out of McFarland north of Bakersfield. He said the company has come to the Colusa Farm Show for a long time, and this was his 10th show.
Kelley said the last time it rained on the show like Tuesday was about eight years ago.
Of course, Owen Tierry of Durham said he remembers when the show was flooded out in 1997.
"Besides, we need the rain," said Tierry, who is a retired farmer but still comes to the Farm Show to see old friends "and hear big stories."
Tony Martindale of Bartel Welding and Machine Shop of Oroville, was too busy showing potential customers what the company's latest line of torches could do.
Washington state resident Dan Clay, who was representing Koike Aronson out of New York, also was drawing a crowd with his computer-controlled cutting machine, as it carved intricate designs out of a sheet of metal.
"I expect to sell at least three or four of these the week after the show," said Clay, who learned to operate the machine that same morning.
He said the Colusa Farm Show has always produced sales for the company.
And that is the hope for the hundreds of vendors who spent much of Tuesday talking with each other as the thin crowds seemed to just filter by their displays.
Mother Nature is expected to be more cooperative over the final two days of the show.
