The Hometown  Country Fair boasts carnival rides, barbecue and a car show.

By Tyler BIDDLE

The fair is coming to town.
On April 6, the Hometown Country Fair returns to Crescenta Valley Park for its eighth consecutive year and promises to almost double in size from last year’s turn out. The event will feature about 100 different vendors and attractions from all over the community and will include food, carnival rides, music, contests, shows and games for all ages. The event is free to attend and is run by local volunteers.

At 10 a.m., the event will kick off with the national anthem sung by Dana Ryan of Mountain Avenue Elementary School. During the day, the fair will host a variety of performances and games including dance routines and local adult bands including Sikora with Matt Sikora and Liz Forde, as well as elementary school and high school bands, a dog parade, arts and crafts exhibits, and a taekwondo demonstration.

“This year we have more people involved than ever,” said Leonard Ghazarian, president of the CV Chamber of Commerce. Ghazarian has been helping organize the event for the past seven years and has seen it grow in size every year.

“We had about 1,000 people last year … I think it would be safe to say that we can expect about 2,000 this year,” he estimated.

When asked about his personal favorites from years past, he replied, “I love watching the local bands … and the pie eating contest gets messy, but it’s a lot of fun to watch.”

You can find Ghazarian at the Chamber of Commerce’s food booth on Saturday where the council members will be flipping burgers and hot dogs. It’s not every day that you get served a burger from the president!

The chamber’s food booth won’t be the only tasty attraction at the fair. Other vendors include two ice cream stands, a grilled cheese truck and an Italian ice stand that will be keeping taste buds happy during all the games and festivities.

The day will also feature a set of activities geared for the whole family. For vintage car enthusiasts and speedsters alike, the annual car show will be presenting close to 50 classic and hot rod cars this year. At 2:05 p.m., the dog parade is scheduled to begin, giving the community’s hounds the chance to strut their stuff. Leading the parade will be Metlife’s Snoopy. Speaking of animals, the Wildlife Waystation will be bringing some of its animal friends out to the park for adults and kids to see. Even a dunk tank will be featured with brave faculty volunteers from CV High School taking the plunge.

A silent auction will offer a variety of fun packages from local as well as larger businesses. Items include tickets to Universal Studios, free web hosting by Caspian Services, free logo design work and business cards from Riley & Associates Advertising, and more. In addition, there will be an iPad raffle with a chance to win costing just $5.

The event is also a great way for local non-profits to raise money for community causes. Various organizations that help young people and animals will be at the park such as the Boys and Girls Club Burbank, Bikers Against Child Abuse, CV DOGS, Pasadena Humane Society, and Prom Plus.

The Hometown Country Fair will welcome guests from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be found at 3901 Dunsmore Ave. at the corner of Dunsmore and Honolulu avenues.

Admission is free.

  J.R. MARTINEZ, Tyler BIDDLE