The Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, California is expanding its reach, using YouTube to bring things like the World’s Ugliest Dog Contest (above) to the world. 

“The purpose of a fair is to celebrate and showcase the community. Fairs are social events and social media is perfect for fairs because of this. We’re inviting folks to participate online, to, in effect, start their fair experience early,” said Fair CEO Patricia Conklin. ”

The Fair’s YouTube presence is an interesting example of how an organization can leverage the free video site to jump into social media. It would be great, though, if they could also incorporate visitor video contributions. 

The Sonoma-Marin Fair runs June 18 to 22 at the Petaluma Fairgrounds. This year’s theme is Home Grown, World Known.