The Nevada County Fairgrounds is perhaps the only place you'd ever expect to find a politically charged Cuban-American country band, Hawaiian folk, tie-dyed shirts, hip-swaying hippies and more umbrellas than you'd see anywhere else but Seattle.

That's because the sun bore down on a day hot enough to make even the devil sigh, and send Jorge Navarro heading for the nearest air-conditioned place to sign autographs at the annual WorldFest, which wrapped up its annual run Sunday.

Navarro fronts the Cuban Cowboys, a sort-of diverse band that sings, in Spanish and English, of the quirks of living in the American culture while paying homage to Old Havana and a slower way of life.

“If you're political, I hope you're going to be funny,” said the San Francisco-based Navarro, whose family hails from Cuba, while wiping his brow and giving e-mail shout-outs for the band's upcoming tour. “It worked for (Minnesota U.S. senator) Al Franken, so why not us?

“If a place like Cuba's where you're coming from, it seems natural that it would come through in your music.”

For the last day of the festival, it seemed, no one worried about rising unemployment, foreclosures or their BlackBerry usage. Instead, the assembled masses took the time to turn the fairgrounds, for one last day, into a giant wall of sound.

While the band played on one stage, Jessica Williams of Alameda swayed like a dervish, entranced by the music.

“They're the reason we came here,” she said. “I kept reading about these guys — they're outrageous and fun. A good mix of politics and beats.”

In speaking of the festival's keep-it-loose feeling, one vendor selling multicolored fruit ice wondered if it would be such a problem to spill the frozen concoction on yourself. So many were wearing rainbow-hued tie-dyed shirts and skirts, she wondered, would anyone know the difference?

Certainly the kids scarfing it wouldn't.

“This is family friendly, and the kids love it,” said Theresa Cox of Chico.

First-time WorldFest visitor Guy Erdman, 60, of Sebastopol wrapped up a four-day excursion to Nevada County by tapping his toes to Hawaiian acoustic guitarist John Cruz.

“Is it always this hot?” Erdman wondered aloud, noting that he came via carpool and was camping nearby.

Even with the tall pines providing shade, it seemed only the temperature was hotter than the licks rolling off Cruz's guitar.

“I love the fact how each of the stages contain their own sound,” Erdman said. “I'll probably be back.”

The WorldFest seemed to draw patrons from all over the world, too, like Melinda Marshall, who visited Grass Valley from Myanmar.

“It's amazing there are so many bands here,” said Marshall, who favors music fused from many different cultures on her iPod.

To contact Staff Writer David Mirhadi, e-mail dmirhadi@theunion.com or call 477-4239.