The Alameda County Fairgrounds is a facility located in

Pleasanton, California Pleasanton is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. Located in the Amador Valley, it is a suburb in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 79,871 at the 2020 census. In 2005 and 2007, Pleasanton wa ...

. It is home to the annual Alameda County Fair, held since 1912, as well as numerous trade shows and community events. Located on its grounds, the Pleasanton Fairgrounds Racetrack was built in 1858, making it the oldest

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

track in the United States. There is a 3,000 seat amphitheater, as well as a 9-hole golf course located within the track's infield. The Alameda County Central Railroad Society has maintained a

model train Railway modelling (UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland) or model railroading (US and Canada) is a hobby in which rail transport systems are modelled at a reduced scale. The scale models include locomotives, rolling stock, streetcars, ...

exhibit at the fairgrounds since 1959, which has grown to two layouts in

O scale O scale (or O gauge) is a scale commonly used for toy trains and rail transport modelling. Introduced by German toy manufacturer Märklin around 1900, by the 1930s three-rail alternating current O gauge was the most common model railroad sca ...

and

HO scale HO or H0 is a rail transport modelling scale using a 1:87 scale (3.5 mm to 1 foot). It is the most popular scale of model railway in the world. The rails are spaced apart for modelling standard gauge tracks and trains in HO. NMRA"Mo ...

. Building J, also known as the Amador Pavilion, is a multi-purpose arena and livestock event facility at the fairgrounds. It was briefly home to the Tri-Valley Ranchers of the

National Indoor Football League The National Indoor Football League (NIFL) was a professional indoor football league in the United States. For their first six years, the league had teams in markets not covered by either the Arena Football League or its developmental league, ...

. Fair cancellations happened in 1917–1918, 1942–1944 and 2020.

Heathcote-MacKenzie House

The Heathcote-MacKenzie House, also known as The Heritage House, was built on the site of the fairgrounds around 1905, to host wealthy harness racers from Canada who wintered their horses in Pleasanton. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1991. With

Notable events

Besides the annual fair, events regularly held at the fairgrounds include: * The Scottish Highland Gathering and Games, which dates back to the 1860s and is reported to be the largest two-day Scottish gathering in North America, celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2015. * The Pirates Of Emerson Haunted House * Several annual automobile shows managed by the

Goodguys Rod & Custom Association The Goodguys Rod & Custom Association is the largest association in the U.S. catering to street rods, custom cars and show cars. The Goodguys Association has over 70,000 active members worldwide. Goodguys stages 20 annual rod & custom car show e ...

* Night to Shine prom hosted by Cornerstone Fellowship

References

External links

* Pleasanton, California Fairgrounds in the United States National Register of Historic Places in Alameda County, California Buildings and structures in Alameda County, California Convention centers in California Horse racing venues in California Amador Valley Government of Alameda County, California Sports venues in Alameda County, California Tourist attractions in Alameda County, California {{AlamedaCountyCA-NRHP-stub

Heathcote-MacKenzie House

Notable events

See also

References

External links