Friday, March 29, 2024

Tri-county fairs pull the plug on 2020

Virtual shows and sales proposed

Posted

QUAD CITIES – Several flagships of the North Central Washington fall entertainment season will remain in port this year with recent announcements that the North Central Washington Fair in Waterville, the Chelan County Fair in Cashmere, and the Okanogan County Fair in Okanogan have been either cancelled or so recommended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

As of July 3, Okanogan County was in Phase 2 of the state’s Safe Start Washington four-phase reopening program. Chelan and Douglas counties remained in modified Phase 1-1.5 status. Phase 1 bans all gatherings while Phase 2 restricts gatherings of no more than five persons outside a family group. Phase 3 allows up to 50 people in a gathering but only Phase 4 permits unlimited numbers.

North Central Washington Fair

The North Central Washington Fair (NCWF) was first out of the chute with its cancelation alert which appeared on the NCWF Facebook site on June 10.

“It is with great disappointment that we announce the North Central Washington Fair will not take place this year,” the posting said adding that Fair staff, Board and Douglas County Commissioners did their best to find a plan that would work. “All possible avenues or changes were explored but none could solve the problems created by Washington’s Safe Start reopening plan.”

NCWF staff went to work on plans to organize a virtual livestock sale and now have Virtual Livestock Sale Rules and an Animal Registration Form on the Fair website, ncwfair.org. Participants must be residents of Douglas or Chelan counties or previous NCWF entrants. The registration deadline for the virtual livestock auction is July 15.

Rusty Finch in his ninth year as Ag teacher and FFA advisor for Cashmere High School has more than three dozen students preparing NCW Fair livestock this year.

“We’re just going forward,” said Finch who was weighing and shearing sheep when contacted last Friday, July 3. “We have 27 kids showing pigs, another 10 with lambs, and four with goats.”

While Finch concedes that a virtual show would not rise to the level of the real thing, still “there are enough people who want meat in their freezer” to produce profitable results for his students.

“We have lots of support,” Finch said.

Chelan County Fair

In a June 11 announcement on its Facebook page the Chelan County Fair (CCF) officials advised that the CCF has been postponed for the 2020 season.

“All possible avenues or changes were explored but none could meet the requirements outlined in Washington’s Safe Start reopening plan,” the announcement said. “With Chelan County only just now getting into a 1.5 phase it became obvious that our county may not even move to Phase 4 until after our Fair.”

 CCF officials are busy on an alternate plan to accommodate youngsters who purchased fair animals.

“At the very least we will have some form of livestock sale…to help these kids get their livestock projects completed and the animals sold.” the CCF posting said. “Details of the potential showing and auction will be sent out through our Facebook page and website (chelancountyfair.co) once the plan is finalized.”

Okanogan County Fair

The Okanogan Fair Advisory Committee (FAC) met in virtual session last Monday, June 29, and voted to recommend to the Okanogan County Commissioners that the fair not be held this year. In its place fair officials propose a two-day event where youngsters could show and sell their livestock, a quantity that includes 162 pigs, 68 sheep, and 65 steers register for the fair so far.

District 2 Commissioner Andy Hover said he would discuss the FAC recommendation with fellow commissioners Jim DeTro and Chris Branch at the next regular commissioners’ meeting on Tuesday, June 30, for a decision in early July. While several members of the community sent letters and voiced support to hold the fair as scheduled, Hover reminded the FAC that violating Safe Start mandates could threaten the financial support the county receives from the state.

One school that will not see any Okanogan County Fair entries this year, virtual or otherwise, is Pateros. Ag instructor and FFA advisor Lyle Blackburn said he went out on a limb earlier to caution his students of the possibility that the coronavirus pandemic that interrupted their school year might do the same to the fair. Apparently, Blackburn’s advice was telling.

“I don’t have a single student that is grooming livestock for the fair this year,” Blackburn said.

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