Salas Joins Riverside County Fair Board

INDIO – Lawrence (Larry) Y. Salas, an educator and lifelong Coachella resident,  is the newest addition to the Riverside County Fair & National Date Festival Advisory Board.

At Supervisor V. Manuel Perez’s recommendation, Salas was appointed by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors last week to an opening on the Fair Board, which helps plan and organize the annual Riverside County and Coachella Valley tradition.

“Larry Salas is a well-respected member of our local community, with a lifetime of experience serving the area,” Perez said in a prepared statement. “He loves the Fair and brings a valuable perspective and experience through his involvement with events at our Fairgrounds. Larry Salas will be a major asset to the Fair Board and our Riverside County Economic Development Agency Fair and marketing staff.”

Salas grew up in Coachella and has attended the Fair since childhood. He attended local schools and graduated from Coachella Valley High School. After earning his associate’s degree from College of the Desert and Bachelor of Arts degree from San Diego State University, he went on to a 40‑year career as an educator, including 30 years as a high school counselor.

Salas continues to work part time as a U.S. citizenship instructor at the Coachella Valley Adult School and as an assistant boys’ varsity tennis coach at Coachella Valley High School. Long involved in civic organizations, he was elected to two terms on the Coachella City Council, serving from 1983 to 1991, and as mayor in 1987 and 1991.

Events that Salas has been involved in at the Fairgrounds include the College Voc-Tech Night, an annual college and career fair for students from the Coachella Valley and Desert Sands school districts, and the nightly Arabian Nights Musical Pageant during the Fair.

“I was excited and honored to be informed that I had been selected by Supervisor and Chairman of the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, Manuel Perez to serve as his representative on the Riverside County Fair Board Advisory committee. As a lifelong resident of the eastern portion of the Coachella Valley, I look forward to providing a perspective that helps to enhance the county Fair and National Date Festival which has been vital and crucial in the Coachella Valley and Riverside County in agriculture, tourism, entertainment, and education,” Salas said in a prepared statement.

The Fair Board is comprised of nine members: two from the Fourth Supervisorial District, one from each of the other four supervisorial districts, and three from Fair-related organizations, including the county agricultural and date industries and county educational institutions. Salas will serve as the education representative.

Fair Board members are volunteers who meet year-round and recommend entertainment, attractions, educational programs and improvements for the Fair. They also promote the Fair in the community, and meet and greet fairgoers during the Fair’s 10-day run.

The 74th Annual Riverside County Fair & National Date Festival opens Friday, Feb. 14 and runs through Feb. 23.