Sons Of The San Joaquin

Fair evokes memories of a true legend

The County Fair, to some, may be a quaint affair, a nod to days gone by that has outlived its relevance, but for someone who never attended one until arriving at The Stockton Record in 1985, it's a summer ritual that evokes wonderful memories.

By opening its doors for free this year, fair managers anticipate record crowds, and I hope they're right. I hope folks are craning their necks to get a better view of the jam judging. I hope there's a steady flow of people walking through the art show and the barns that house animals lovingly cared for by 4H and Future Farmers of America members.

I hope the grandstands are packed for horse racing, and not just because last weekend was the 38th anniversary of Secretariat's completing the Triple Crown with his spectacular win by 31 lengths at the Belmont (and yes, I just saw the DVD of the film, "Secretariat.").

My horse racing affinity is special to me because it's the first event I ever covered for The Record. I'd been to only one horse race in my life before moving to Stockton. I was 9 and my sister and I went to Bay Meadows with a friend visiting from Oregon. We talked her into betting on a long-short named Smoky Joe because our dad's name was Joe. He didn't win, place or show.

So when I headed to the fairgrounds on a hot August day to write about the beginning of the horse racing fair, I had no idea what I'd find.

Lucky for me, I found Dick Kranz. The man was a true gem, who fed me all kinds of story ideas and explained anything about racing I didn't understand.

Kranz had come to Stockton in 1961 with his wife, Virginia, and sons Dave and Jeff to work for The Stockton Record as a sportswriter. Almost from the start, he also helped with public relations for the fair, assisting a couple of colleagues who did that work.

An inability to say no to anything and a love of horse racing began Kranz's 40-year association with the San Joaquin Fair.

His wife, Virginia, was introduced to horse racing by Kranz when they lived in Illinois and he took her to races at Washington Park. The two who were married for 52 years later visited Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, and the Horse Racing Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

By the time I arrived in Stockton, Kranz worked for The Record part time, writing local sports and softball columns and helping at night with incoming phone calls. During the fair he wrote daily stories about the races and put together a handicap for the paper.

western cattle trails |

Western cattle trails The Wild West – Cattle Drive in Art – The cattle drive is a staple of American Western history. One large ranch or several small ranches would cobble together a good-sized herd and set off on one of the many cattle trails to the north, driving them from prairie land to a railhead perhaps two or three states away. These drives could take months, and the work was hard and dangerous. The weather was foul, either too hot or too cold. There were Indians, rustlers, wild animals to watch out for. Stampedes that could not only run the fat off the cattle, but could as easily take a life if a cowboy got careless. Illness, rattlesnakes, bad water, rough food, many things existed to make life difficult. Some never came back. Those that did rejoined their families if they had them, or hunkered down in the bunkhouse for the winter and could hardly wait to do it again.. It was a man’s job. and they loved it. Music is the theme from TV’s “Rawhide,” sung by Frankie Lane, followed by “Calgary Roundup,” sung by Wilf Carter, then “He’s Runnin’ Out of Roundups,” by the Sons of the San Joaquin.

Sons of the San Joaquin

Sons of the San Joaquin Albums, 15 Years: A Retrospective, Christmas, Sing One for the Cowboy, from Whence Came the Cowboy, Way Out Yonder

American Cowboy

Singing in the Saddle, The History of the Singing Cowboy

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