Interviewed by: Donna Martinez
Date: 8/2/19

Who: Candy Evenson, Livestock Manager Santa Barbara County Fair – Retired

Editor’s Note:  Candy is one of my favorite people ever!  For years I’d watch her manage 1500+ fair animals and all of the clubs, kids, parents, judges and public too! This is not a job for the faint hearted!  You could always bet that she’d be willing to listen and ready to give you the truthful and direct answer.  You could rest assured, that she’d give you the answer you needed…not necessarily the answer you wanted to hear.  She always had the her priorities straight.  Many leaders in our community welcomed her “Thursday Night before Fair” sermons.  Here she set the tone for the show and established the priorties for each club to focus on.  I wanted to showcase Candy because she has a great vantage point of the show ring and showing livestock. It is always beneficial to hear what management expects from the showmen and clubs.  After 12 years of livestock management along with her years of other experiences, she’s seen it all!  There isn’t a sickness, trick or game out there that she hasn’t had to deal with. She is a true gem.  I hope you enjoy reading about this amazing woman of Ag.  May it also be noted that Candy wouldn’t provide a picture for me…so here is one that I had!  Gottcha Candy! 

Always for your Animals & Kids,

Donna Martinez

I grew up on a farm on the east side of Santa Maria, California.  My dad worked in town, my mom owned the farm.  Now I own it.  It was a vegetable farm, but I had chickens, goats, horses, rabbits, and the occasional head of cattle.  My dad had two rules, no monkeys and no pigs.  I never knew why no pigs, but was smart enough not to push the point.  I was a collector of animals.  I showed horses in my younger years, but found more pleasure in trail riding.  I am trained in classical piano, but my first love is and was being outdoors.  My parents kept us very busy.  I was in Camp Fire throughout high school and was active in the First Christian Church fellowship until going away to college.  We swam every day of the summer and if we were too rambunctious, Mom walked us from Oso Flaco Lake across the dunes to the ocean and back.  Sometimes we made it as far as Mussel Rock on foot.  This was an all-day endeavor and we had no rambunctious feelings left by the time we got home.

Today, I am a farmer, land owner, entrepreneur, agricultural activist, wife, mother, and probably a lot more.  I think it is important to be well rounded.  Whatever job I take on for that day gets my full attention and I expect to do it well.  I still have animals, maybe just as many as when I was young.  They are my passion and give me peace of mind.  I consider myself to be a good steward of the land and believe that all agriculturalists are the original environmentalists.

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