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    Pete Estabrook, of Santa Rosa, celebrated his birthday on a hot, smoke-filled Saturday at the Humboldt County Fair in his usual role as the race track bugler.
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    Heather Bellinger (left), of Arcata, was recognized for her contribution in the Best Racing Theme category and Paulette Hanson, of Rohnert Park, was recognized for her Most Outrageous offering on Ladies Hat Day.
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    Nicole Kozak, 1, got up on the rail to help scout race propects for Sandra and Anthony Kozak on Ladies Hat Day.
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    While competing for the Best Group category on Ladies Hat Day, Alyssa Kell (left), Alison O’Dowd, Kate Hutchings, Heather Ballinger, Ronnie Chausse and Johanna Nagan found some shade in the grandstands during the early horse races.
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    Ladies Hat Day contestant Betty Mack, of Fortuna, watched the horse races from her box in the grandstands.
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    Contestants in the Ladies Hat Day contest turned into railbirds to cheer on their favorites.
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    Judge Debbie Olson, of Eureka, helped herd the contestants onto the race track after the fifth race for the Ladies Hat Day parade.
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    After the fifth horse race of the day, all of the participants in the Ladies Hat Day competition were invited onto the race track for a parade and final judging. (This panorama image was created in Photoshop by combining seven photographs.)
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    Ladies Hat Day categories included Most Glamorous, Best Racing theme, Funniest or Most Outrageous, and Best Couple or Group. Judges Debbie Olson (left) and Lacey Olson, both of Eureka, and Danielle Hanson, of Ferndale, reviewed photos of contestants to help make their decisions.
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    Gillian Eglin (left), of Fortuna, and Beth Coppini, of Ferndale, waited in the grandstands prior to the fifth race. They were members in a larger group that won the award for the Best Couple or Group category on Ladies Hat Day.
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    In the category for Best Racing Theme on Ladies Hat Day, Karen Isbel, of Auburn, won by several lengths.
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    What do you do for entertainment when you come to Humboldt County for a Labor Day family reunion? Dress up for Ladies Hat Day and compete in the Best Couple or Best Group category.
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    A photographer’s goal — photograph a race horse with all four hooves off the ground. It was a hotly debated question in the late 19th century, before Eadweard Muybridge in 1878 used 24 cameras in sequence to photograph horses in motion to finally prove that they do indeed have all four hooves off the ground while running.
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    In the sixth race on Sunday, horse No. 7 “Mr Larson” was a tempting bet for this photographer. After being near the lead for half of the seven furlongs race, “Mr Larson” finished out of the money.
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    First place prizes for the 6th annual Ladies Hat Day contest went to Heather McKinney, of Arcata, for her massive “Winter is Coming” Game of Thrones-themed hat.
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    The top of Cindy McKinney’s massive “Winter is Coming”-themed hat displayed a dragon being hauled from a lake.