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and former walnut groves around Walnut Grove Elementary School. The Alameda County Fair started as a racetrack for a local horse farm and then expanded to exhibit local agricultural products. To this day, the County Fair showcases horse races and farm animals, along with various agricultural machines and products and in 2006 drew more than 380,000 attendees to the 17 -day event. The 4- H Program for youth, administered by the Cooperative Extension Service of the US Department of Agriculture, is active in Pleasanton, with several clubs participating in County-Fair animal and craft competitions. Most open land in the Southeast Hills and in the Pleasanton Ridgelands - except for woodland areas - is used for grazing livestock. The Vineyard A venue Corridor and Happy Valley (South Pleasanton) areas contain many ranchettes with livestock. Vineyards grow near Ruby Hill and along East Vineyard Avenue. All of these agricultural properties contribute to the open area surrounding Pleasanton. City Entryways City entryways affect the way visitors see the community and are the "welcome home" points for returning residents. Pleasanton's entryways are generally well designed, but in some cases not distinctively different from other communities. Some of the city-entry street landscaping areas are privately maintained, such as those in Hacienda Business Park. 1-580 Freeway Entryways 1-580 entryways to the community are typical of most freeway interchange entries, generally have minimal visual distinction or uniqueness at the freeway exit itself, and advertising signage and bright franchise colors dominate some areas. The Hacienda Drive area is an exception, with views of the large Hacienda Business Park entry arch. As Hopyard and Santa Rita Roads continue toward the Downtown, they contain elements of strong visual interest including street and median trees. There are, however, some areas where weak landscaping and exposed soundwalls detract from the overall unage. 1-680 Freeway Entryways Interstate 680 (1-680) entryways are more unique then 1-580 entryways for their relative softness of appearance and landscape quality. Bernal Avenue is a strong visual entry created by its large trees, swale median, and curbless edges, all reminiscent of the area's earlier rural character. Likewise, the Sunol Boulevard entry with its informal landscaping and relative absence of development close to the road has a soft, semi-rural feel. The Stoneridge Drive entry is not as distinctive in character as those at Bernal Avenue and Sunol Boulevard, but is nicely landscaped and includes a bridge structure over the Alamo Canal. Foothill Road Entryways The Foothill Road entryway from the south appears bucolic. From the northern entryway rural vistas are located to the west and office development is located to the east, which is generally well screened Community Character 011607 clean 10-8 1/3/2007