WATSONVILLE >> The swells of mariachi music, sounds of laughter and unmistakable aroma of deep-fried foods were all present as families made their way through the fairgrounds Wednesday for the first day of the five-day extravaganza that is the Santa Cruz County Fair.

As always, the fair kicked off with a short ceremony outside the main gate to welcome fairgoers. This year’s ceremony was a bit more somber than most because it marked the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Coincidentally, it had been that same date in 2001 when that year’s Santa Cruz County Fair was scheduled to open, but the attacks pushed the opening back a day with gate proceeds benefitting a fund for families of New York firefighters killed in the line of duty, according to a Sentinel article from that time.

Read Zaro, the ceremony’s emcee, said the fair had been ordered by then-Gov. Gray Davis not to open so soon, but officials opted to do so anyway to provide the community with a diversion from the chaos that was unfolding.

“It showed the resolve of the community to support each other in a very strange time,” he said. “We opened the fair and did what we do best: Support each other and be together.”

Following the traditional performance of the national anthem by Ted Sanchez of the South Bay Swing Band, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 942 in Hollister led by Honor Guard Commander Bernie Ramirez lowered the American flag to half-staff, played taps and observed a moment of silence in honor of the 2,977 victims of 9/11.

In another tradition, Robin Turnquist of Aptos Grange 800 presented Quilts of Valor to three local military veterans.

“We have a group of us that get together, sew, iron, cut fabric and make quilts for veterans,” she said.

The three honored were Richard Nutt, an E4 petty officer in the Navy who served in the Vietnam War; Victor Kong, an active Army National Guard reservist who also served in Vietnam; and Jason Grimm, who served in the Navy as an E5 petty officer second class from 1994 to 2001 and is now a captain in the California Highway Patrol’s Santa Cruz office. All were presented quilts with different designs by other Grange members, who unraveled the quilts so the veterans could see, and then they were draped around their shoulders.

In her welcoming remarks, Rachel Wells — president of the Santa Cruz County Fair Board of Directors — said the fair had a lot to offer this year, as evidenced by the theme “Pioneer Days to Modern Ways.” This includes the Agricultural History Project’s “Yesterday’s Farm” where fairgoers can learn about the Central Coast’s farming history, the ever-popular horse and livestock shows, and the first-ever drone show, where drones will form images synchronized to music each night on the amphitheater lawn.

“The fair has something for everyone,” she said. “The fair’s so important to this community, and I’m so proud to be on the board and to be helping in a small part to put on this amazing event.”

Zeke Fraser, fair manager and CEO, echoed Wells’ sentiments.

“We’ve got it all, and we want you to experience every bit of it,” he said.With a snip of the ribbon, the fairgrounds officially opened. There was plenty of entertainment throughout, including a hypnotism show by Michael Mezmer, magic by Frank Thurston, dance routines by the troupe Power House and the electrified violin stylings of Violin on Fire, the alias of Patrick Contreras who performed violin renditions of everything from A-ha’s “Take on Me” to Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy” to Edvard Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King.”

There was also plenty of entertainment roaming the fairgrounds, including Jeremy the Juggler, singing cowboy Cisco Jim and his steed Taza, extremely tall stilt walkers, the mariachi group Mariachi de California and Cooper Jennings and his Wagon of Whimsy.

Another new feature this year is the Ed Camp, which provides hands-on learning activities, Make-n-Take projects provided by Home Depot and a display of tiny homes built by Pajaro Valley Unified School District students.

There was no shortage of activities for people of all ages, including testing their endurance on a mechanical bull, getting inside plastic bubbles and literally walking on water via Bubble Fun, noshing on a range of foods from funnel cakes to deep-fried Philly cheesesteaks, and going on the many rides, including the Ferris wheel, carousel, Super Slide, Magic Dragon mini rollercoaster, Pirate’s Cove obstacle course, Monkey Business funhouse and more.

Fairgoers all had different things they were looking forward to. For Allie Hill of Felton, it was the livestock shows and “all the great food.” For Rachael Castro and Triniti Roberts of Santa Cruz, it was the Alaskan pig races and drone show. For Shannon Allen of Hollister, it was the tractor parade. Allen came with her parents and three kids — Emilia, 9; Adeline, 7; and Finn, 4; — and loved the fair’s hometown feel.

“My kids are homeschooled, so this is a great opportunity for them to learn about the community and animals and all sorts of different things,” she said.

The fair runs through Sunday at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, 2601 E. Lake Ave., Watsonville. For more information, including a complete schedule, go to SantaCruzCountyFair.com.