Fair Happenings

Green: it’s more than currency or an eco lifestyle.

Think John Deere.

The Island County Commissioners blended all three concepts into one tidy package when they recently approved the purchase of a John Deere 4120 for use at the Island County Fairgrounds.  The Deere replaces an old Kioti that replaced an old Ferguson, which now resides in the antique barn.

Impetus for the acquisition was the planned construction of a composting station on the fairgrounds to manage the manure produced year-round at the facility. Trundling all the animal waste from various barns to the compost site met with head shakes and long faces from Fair Board members.  A new tractor was needed to streamline the process.

Although the Island County Fair is self-sufficient, receiving no taxpayer funding through County coffers, there was scant room in the budget to purchase the green dream.

At the urging of Island County Commissioner Phil Bakke, the Commissioners tapped their contingency fund to turn the dream into reality. “I was so excited to be able to do something nice for the Island County Fair, since they take such good care of the County’s property and provide so many opportunities for the youth of Island County,” Bakke said.

Bakke was on hand for the delivery, and took a turn at the wheel before relinquishing it to eager fair hands. The clean green machine glistened as Jerry Reuble of Barnett Implements detailed the operation of the practically foolproof equipment. Included with the tractor was a new drag for the arena, to replace the ancient one held together with baling wire and rust. The dust had barely settled from unloading it before Leandra Reuble hopped into the driver’s seat and moved the drag to the arena for use at the 4-H horse show on Saturday.

Reuble said, “This is just the beginning. We’re going to find all kinds of uses for this tractor.”

Paradise Amusements is once again offering a presale ticket deal for the Island County Fair carnival. From now until August 3, advance purchase entitles thrillseekers to 10 hours of rides for $17 at the Fair August 14-17.

Here's how it works: Buy a presale ticket for $17, bring it to the Fair and exchange it at the carnival ticket booth inside the fairgrounds for a wristband good for one session. There are two sessions per day. Hours for the first session are noon to 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. The second session runs from 5 p.m. to closing Thursday through Sunday. Presale tickets entitle bearer to wristbands for both sessions. Each ticket is valid for one day of the Fair only.

Tickets are available at all island branches of both Whidbey Island Bank and AlaskaUSA Federal Credit Union, or at the Fair office from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. There is no limit to the number of presale tickets each person may buy. For more information, call the Fair office at 221-4677.

No ride wristbands will be sold at the Fair this year, so this is your only chance to get great value at a tremendous savings over ride tickets. Presale ends Sunday, August 3. After that, it's the full-price deal … so get yours now!

Note:  Purchase of carnival ticket does not include admission to the fair.

You can help make it better!

Build a birdhouse, bring it to the fair and we’ll hang it on the wall. An award for the birdhouse with the most votes from fairgoers Thursday, Friday and Saturday during the fair will be given before noon Sunday, August 17. You have the choice to leave your birdhouse at the fair permanently or you can take it home after the fair.

Here’s the rules:

The birdhouse can be made out of anything. It must be wall hung and ready to hang.

Bring it to the Pole Building Saturday, August 9, 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

We have gone high tech! We have posted the Premium Book online and will be running an Online Entry system for the 2008 Island County Fair. You can now register your exhibits online anytime at home from now until August and drop them off at the fair on Entry Day. Click here to check it out.

You can find a list of entry dates and times in the Premium Book.

Join us this weekend for the Country Spring Crafts & Antiques Faire. Find the perfect Mother’s Day gift! The 4-H Building will be chalk full of antiques and hand crafted gifts. We are even going to have a plant sale.

Load up the car and swing on by the fairgrounds Friday, April 25, 1PM to 7PM and Saturday, April 26, 10AM to 3PM. See you there!

Wanna help beautify the fairgrounds without lifting a shovel? Check out the Landscapers Challenge Contest! We were able to put it together and run it a couple years ago with great interest. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to get someone to help to get it off the ground since. The following link is a draft of the rules and application. Please contact the Fair Office if you are interested in helping out with this contest or other projects at the fair.

If you are a commercial landscaper or designer and think you might be interested in participating in the event we are able to have this contest, submit an application.

Rules & Application (.pdf, 300 KB)

Happy planting!

There’s lots of work to do that may reflect your interests, abilities and energy.  Many tasks do not require specialized training or long hours, just a desire to put on the best fair in the Puget Sound area.  We will be posting more projects & descriptions in upcoming weeks.  If you want to find out how you can help, contact the fair office.

See you soon!

You may have noticed that our website has had a little facelift! Congratulations to Joy Smith! Her logo received the most votes at Monday’s Fair Association meeting. The logo and the slogan ‘Meet Us at the Gate!’ will be the theme for the 2008 Island County Fair. The colors will be barn red and denim blue. Among other things, Joy is the open class superintendent of Sewing and Needlework. Way to go Joy!

New Association officers were selected at the meeting. Pictured (l-r) are Barbara Pearson, Secretary; Bill Carruthers, Treasurer; Diane Divelbess, President; Ken Schillinger, Board Member and Klass Zuiderbann, Board Member. Lynda Knapp (not pictured) is Vice President.

Other happenings at the meeting was a special appearance by the Pink Ladies from Fair Convention showcasing the First Place and Sweepstakes Grand Awards we won for the Scrapbook. The only point taken off the score was because it’s heavy. That means it’s packed with stuff from the 2007 Fair. You should swing by the Fair Office sometime and check it out. You might even find yourself in there! Judi Slepyan was also on hand with the 2nd Place ribbon she won for her photo submission of Karen Quest. Check it out in the October 22nd blog!

All in all, it was a great meeting! Listen, if you’re reading this and you’re feeling like you missed out on all the fun, don’t be sad, consider joining the Fair Association! We are always looking for volunteers. It’s fun and exciting and it helps your Fair. Email us if you would like more information.

Ah the holidays!  Ferry lines, traffic, parking, waiting in line... 

Forget that!  How about a fun, carefree Christmas shopping experience right in your own back yard?  Well, not exactly in your back yard, but at Country Christmas!  It's the Island County Fair Association's one and only fund raiser for the year. 

You will be able to shop for antiques, collectibles and quality gifts hand made by local crafters.  Maybe even your neighbor.  Seriously, your neighbor is down in her basement right now making stuff for Country Christmas just like Santa's elves at the North Pole!

So, save that ferry money, grab a friend and join us at the Island County Fair. 

Friday, November 23, 2PM - 7PM with a $1.00 donation for a preview

Saturday, November 24 and Sunday, November 25, 10AM - 3PM

Saturday December 1 and Sunday December 2, 10AM - 3PM

Who knows maybe you'll see some of your other friends there and you can all enjoy a bowl of soup and a piece of pie while you listen to the sounds of happy Christmas shopping!

Reward your neighbor for her hard work - buy local!

We just returned from the Washington State Fair Convention in Yakima. The theme this year was Cruisin' to Yakima. Even Elvis and the Pink Ladies made an appearance!

We won some cool awards too:

You can check out the scrapbook at the Fair Office. It will be in the History Booth during the fair with all the past scrapbooks.

The Convention is a great opportunity to attend workshops, view different entertainment showcases and talk to people from other fairs in the state. We are able to find out what the public is responding to and what is working for other fairs. Our goal is to provide you with a low cost, fun, family experience.

Here's where you come in. We are getting ready to put together the entertainment for the 2008 Fair. What would YOU like to see? What kind of entertainment acts would you like to have at the fair? What kind of activities would you like to see at the fair? What would make the fair a better experience for you? This is your opportunity to let us know what you want. Please email us and let us know your thoughts.