Dust off your boots and saddle-up for Crane Country Day School’s annual Country Fair, which embraces a “Harvest Hoedown” theme when it opens its fields to the community on Sunday, Oct. 26.

Offering line dancing, kid-powered game booths and the return of the Haunted House, this year’s fair promises old-fashioned fun and a small dose of fright.

The Crane Country Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the school’s 11-acre campus at 1795 San Leandro Lane in Montecito. Admission is free, and the fair is open to the public, with tickets available on site for booth activities and an impressive raffle.

“We are thrilled to be bringing back the Haunted House,” said Erin Eberhardt Spence, who is co-chairing this year’s event alongside Crane moms Tasha Marlow and Susan Monaghan.

Crane has incorporated the creation of the Haunted House into its Upper School theater tech curriculum, which means that kids are responsible for conceptualizing and building sets, creating sound effects, engineering scare tactics, designing makeup, distressing costumes and acting in the cast. The Haunted House is kid-friendly and age appropriate, with options to tone down the terror for toddlers.

The preschool set will also enjoy Coyote Cub Corner, with its own petting zoo, toddler bouncy and Wahooo pets, a new addition of electric ride-on animals. Older kids will appreciate the jousting booth, giant slide, football throw, obstacle course and dunk tank. New booths this year include sack races, an old-fashioned candy booth and country line dancing, in keeping with the hoedown theme.

In fact, the day will be filled with music, as well as food. Musical performances will include Crane students, music teacher Konrad Kono, the Figueroa Mountain 4 and the Young Singer’s Club. And there will be food aplenty — those with a sweet tooth will find satisfaction with Scoop ice cream, cotton candy and delicious homemade goods at the Country Kitchen. There are also nearly 200 cakes used as prizes for the cakewalk, if you’re lucky enough to win one.

Conversely, the Healthy Hut will serve vegetarian cuisine while Big Daddy’s BBQ prepares tri-tip, hot dogs and chicken. There will also be tamales and a pig roast, so be sure to come hungry.

Fairgoers are encouraged to bring their own water bottles, which can easily be refilled, at one of several filtered water dispensers provided by Matilija Pure Water Systems.

This is the first year that Crane moms Spence, Marlow and Monaghan have chaired the fair, and they said they volunteered because it’s one of their favorite events at the school.

“The fair gives the children so much freedom and the whole event really represents what the school stands for — the generosity of the entire Crane community coming together to work and play on the safe, open fields,” Marlow said. Spence agrees: “This is a great way to start off the school year.”

Key committee members and donors include the Caleel Family, Erika Delgado, Janet Friesen, Suzanne Garrett, JC Gordon, Linnea Haddock, Emily Jones, Mia Morphy, Mari Powell, Nancy Sheldon and Sarice Silverberg.

For more information about Crane Country Day School, contact the admissions office at 805.969.7732 or click here.

— Ann Pieramici represents Crane Country Day School.