The Thurston County Board of Commissioners welcomed a menagerie of farm animals, including chickens, guinea pigs, bunnies, a goat and a sheep to its board room on Tuesday to celebrate the upcoming Thurston County Fair.
The fair returns to the Thurston County Fairgrounds and Event Center on Thursday, July 30 and runs through Sunday, Aug. 2.
The Thurston County Board of Commissioners issued a proclamation Tuesday acknowledging the “crucial link” the fair serves between Thurston County’s agricultural heritage and contemporary society, and encouraging residents to take part in the upcoming festivities.
“All residents are encouraged to recognize the Thurston County Fair as an invaluable community asset and participate in its enduring legacy,” the proclamation reads.
While the fair itself lasts just four days, the event is the culmination of months of work from Thurston County’s 4-H and FFA members who raise animals to show or sell at the fair.
“When I think of agriculture in Thurston County and in South Puget Sound, I really think that the future of ag in this area is in the barns at Thurston County Fair,” said Thurston County Agriculture Program Manager Kevin Jensen.
A former “fair kid” himself, Jensen now runs Riverbend Ranch in Tenino with his wife and is guiding his own kids through their first years of raising and showing animals at the fair.
“I learned skills that carried me through life from that,” Jensen said.
Raising animals to show and sell at the fair not only teaches youth how to raise and care for an animal, but also teaches them promotion, public speaking, and leadership skills.
“They go on to be active members of our community. They know the business end of a shovel, and they know what it takes to earn a dollar,” said Celeste Winthers, president of the volunteer committee that facilitates the fair’s Youth Market Sale.
Held on the Saturday night of fair week, the Youth Market Sale connects the 4-H and FFA members who raised project animals with local buyers and sponsors.
“We talk a lot about options for local, slow, ethical food in our county, and this is truly the nexus of that,” Winthers said.
In the past five years, the Youth Market and Animal Sale Committee has facilitated the sale of beef, pork, lamb, goat, rabbit, chicken, turkey — and sponsorships for the youth selling those animals — in the amount of roughly $1.08 million.
Thurston County Commissioner Wayne Fournier is encouraging community members to seek out his daughter’s project sheep, Potato, at the fair for a selfie.
Fournier said he would reward the best selfie sent to him on Facebook with $100.
“This is my daughter's first year getting ready to show a sheep, so I've gotten to watch her really take that seriously and kind of grow with the sheep and learn how to raise it and take care of it,” Fournier said. “Go and visit all the animals and visit all the kids, but be sure to find Potato.”
Jensen estimated that there were a few hundred project animal entries submitted so far for this year’s fair.
Outside of the Youth Market Sale, the Thurston County Fair exhibits entries in animal showmanship, home arts, visual arts, and more.
As of Monday, July 21, the Thurston County Fair had just shy of 4,000 exhibits registered, according to Thurston County Fairgrounds and Event Center Manager Thomasina Cooper.
“It's a vibrant reflection of all of who we are, and it's really quite incredible,” Cooper said.
The Thurston County Fair is joining in the nationwide celebration of America’s 250th Birthday through a special exhibit from the State Archives Office and the launch of a civic storytelling project where fair attendees can share stories about their experiences. Those stories will feed into the second volume of the Thurston County Fair History Book.
Fair attendees will also see a George Washington impersonator wandering the grounds and sharing stories about the nation’s history.
Kids attending the fair additionally have an opportunity to vote on a name for the Thurston County Fair’s new mascot.
They have a choice between four names: Mr. Cloppity, Galloping Gertie, Turbo, and Harry Trotter.
For more information about the Thurston County Fair, including a schedule of events and exhibits, visit https://tinyurl.com/bdev4yrw
