Sonoma County Fair Honors Healdsburg's Dave Lewers with 2016 Exhibitor Guidebook Dedication

From wildly encouraging the crowd to bid at the Fair’s popular Junior Livestock auction to quietly traveling many miles each month to provide essential leadership on the Sonoma County Fair Board, Dave Lewers stands out as a tried and true supporter of Sonoma County agriculture. In recognition of his decades of service, the Board of Directors and staff of the Sonoma County Fair are thrilled to dedicate this year’s 2016 Exhibitor Guidebook to Healdsburg’s Dave Lewers.

Any question about Lewers’ dedication to agriculture and to the Sonoma County Fair can be answered by the mileage on his truck. For over 18 years, “Big Dave” made the 92 mile roundtrip from his home in Healdsburg to the fairgrounds in Santa Rosa where he served as a member, chairman and president of the Sonoma County Fair Board; worked the ring at the Junior Livestock Auction; and attended more fair-related events than anyone, including Lewers, could ever count.

“All told, I figure I could have traveled across the U.S. and back a few times,” says Dave. But Lewers says he’s happy to have invested his time (and mileage) for the benefit of the Fair. “I did it because I care about the kids and I care about keeping agriculture at the heart of our community,” he says.

The son of a logger, Lewers moved to Healdsburg as a baby. He spent a lot of this childhood in the woods and developed a keen love of the land. “Our house was surrounded by fields and us kids used to ride our bikes all over, fishing in the creek and playing in the orchards.”

Lawn mowing, wood chopping, and working the land gave Lewers an early taste of agribusiness. After high school, he married his high school sweetheart, and a former FFA Sweetheart, Bunny. Together they operated Dave Lewers Auto Glass in Healdsburg for 20 years. In 1997, Supervisor Paul Kelly appointed Lewers to the Sonoma County Fair Board. The self-proclaimed “common man” says he owes a lot of thanks to Kelly, followed by Supervisors Mike McGuire and James Gore, for putting their trust in him for nearly two decades.

“Two things I’m really proud of are helping to bring the turf track to the fairgrounds and helping to elevate the livestock auction to the $1 million level,” says Lewers. “But, I certainly didn’t do any of it alone. I worked with some of the most dedicated and honorable people,” he adds.

This includes people like Jim Neumiller, who’s known Lewers for 35 years. “Dave’s a bundle of energy and super committed” says Neumiller. “I’ve seen him jump on top of tables at the livestock auction to get people going. At the Healdsburg Fair, I even saw him climb the backstop screen!”

Lewers retired from the Fair Board last year. He continues to manage the Trione Family ranch—a job he began in 2005. He says he’s looking forward to being back in the ring for the Junior Livestock Auction this summer, along with his two daughters as always. And, he’s especially looking forward to the birth of his first grandchild.

Movie magic abounds at the 2016 Sonoma County Fair, and the excitement is mounting for “Lights, Camera, Fair!” Get ready to be entertained from July 22 – August 7 (closed on Mondays). Enjoy our new Community Concert Series, the thrill of live horse racing, a giant carnival, the “Sonoma Cinema” themed Hall of Flowers, live entertainment, delicious food, fun contests, games and more! For details, visit SonomaCountyFair.com or call (707) 545-4200. Like us on Facebook, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter to keep up with the fun. See you at the Fair!