The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

It’s been an interesting and rewarding year for the fairgrounds, resulting in an amazing new arena. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve had our fair share of ups and downs (no pun intended), with Mother Nature putting us through the ringer time and time again. Yet here we are 12 months down the road and the fairgrounds look better than ever.

Working alongside Chuck Beyer and FEMA, I was able to purchase new freezers and refrigerators for the Grange kitchen, totally revamping the equipment, replacing items which hadn’t worked correctly for years. We also managed to replace both the stove and refrigerator in the Youth Building, creating a much more user friendly environment for exhibitors and volunteers alike.

This year also marked the replacement of all poultry cages in the small animal barn. Purchased via a grant through the Wahkiakum Community Foundation and the Bradwood Landing Fund, this $5,000 grant provided 40 double layer cages, able to contain over 80 chickens. This was a fantastic achievement as previously at our 100th fair; exhibitors had reported cutting their hands while trying to access their chickens.

Most recently, the fairgrounds were awarded over $15,000 to add heating to the T Building. This was a WA State grant I applied for back in October. Only $45,000 was available across the state, so to be awarded over a third of the total allowance was a major achievement for Wahkiakum.

Coming soon will be the new fair website (www.wahkiakumfair.org). This has been a volunteer project of mine which I hope to complete early in the New Year. The new website will feature all of the information about the fairgrounds, upcoming events and most importantly, everything you could ever want to know about our upcoming 102nd fair next summer. So get ready to bookmark a new favorite and watch this space, as we go live in 2010!

It’s that time once again to put on your thinking caps and start brainstorming as the fair board and I need your help. We need a theme for our 102nd fair this summer and time is running out. The winner will be chosen at our next board meeting on January 13 so start sending in your entries today. Entries can be emailed (wahkiakumfair@centurytel.net) mailed (PO Box 1, Skamokawa, WA, 98647), or left via phone 360-795-0419. You can enter as many times as you want so get started as 1st prize is $25 cash! The fair board is also looking for new volunteers and potential members to join one of the new fair committees.

The next Wahkiakum County Fair board is January 13 at 7 p.m. in the 3rd floor meeting room of the courthouse. The public is always welcome to attend.

The fair office is now open by appointment only. If you need to gain access to the fairgrounds please contact the fair office 360-795-3480 or leave a message on my cell phone 360-355-7743.