We’re celebrating 50 years of Farm Trails, and its major fundraising event, the Gravenstein Apple Fair, taking place on August 12 – 13, at beautiful Ragle Ranch Park in Sebastopol. We’ve strolled down Memory Lane through the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s, now it’s time to remember 2003.
A Consequential Year
After Y2K turned out to be what we might call a “nothing burger” today, the new millennium started with hope for the future. That hope was shattered by the events of 9/11 which shocked not only the US, but the world. As a response to this terrorist attack, the US invaded Iraq in 2003. Saddam Hussein’s government was toppled quickly with George W. Bush declaring “Mission Accomplished” in May of 2003.
Martin Eberhart and Marc Tarpenning founded Tesla, Inc., the US electric car company in San Carlos, CA in July of 2003. MySpace launched in ’03, as did the imageboard, 4Chan.
Also in 2003, SARS-CoV1 (severe acute respiratory syndrome – coronavirus), a precursor to CoV2 or COVID, became an epidemic in China.
’03 in Pop Culture
#1 Single – “In da Club” by 50 Cent, produced by Dr. Dre and Mike Elizondo, was on top signaling the ascendance of hip hop (a key element of which is rap) – also celebrating its 50th year – in popular music and culture. Beyonce released her first solo album since leaving Destiny’s Child, with the single “Crazy in Love” featuring rapping by Jay Z, her future husband, hitting #4 for the year.
#1 Movie – It was a big year for Disney with #1 movie “Finding Nemo” followed by “Pirates of the Caribbean,” at #2.
#1 TV Show – On television, still dominated by major networks, the fascination with forensics was in full swing with “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” taking the top spot. In positions 2 and 3 was another craze – “American Idol.”
#1 Bestselling Vehicle – Same as in 1993, the Ford F-Series truck was the bestselling vehicle in 2003, followed by the Chevy Silverado. Mileage ranged from 12.5 mpg for the F350 Super Duty to 17 mpg for the F150-250.
Gas cost – Gas prices spiked at over $2/gallon at various points during the year.
Sonoma County in ’03
Farms and Farmers Forever – Farm Trails continues to fund its second scholarship, established in 2001, at Santa Rosa Junior College. Sonoma County Ag + Open Space acquires two pieces of ridgeline property near Healdsburg, CA for $7.6M in their continuing effort to preserve Sonoma County open space.
Sonoma County Population – 466,489 (vs. 485,887 in ’21)
Apple Acreage – 3038 acres (~2200 in ’21)
Come to the Fair!
Just like in 2003, the Gravenstein Apple Fair is still sweet and still full of country fun. Check it out on August 12 – 13, 2023 at Ragle Ranch Park in Sebastopol. Purchase tickets here http://gravensteinapplefair/tickets/
