Grant County Fair board forces display removal

Community service group unhappy

GRANT COUNTY - Nightscare Production removed two moving mannequins from their food booth Wednesday, apparently under the direction of the Grant County Fair Board.

The mannequins, a skeleton and witch, played music at passersby from the rooftop of the booth. Nightscare expressed frustration with being forced to remove the display.

Fair board President Gary Ribail did not return phone calls seeking comment.

"I don't think it's right not to allow us to be who we are," said Nightscare co-founder Woody Rowley.

The non-profit organization is known for the haunted house it offers each year in Moses Lake at the fairgrounds. Their fair booth generates funding to run the haunted house, Rowley said.

The mannequins, which danced and sang, captured the attention of fairgoers and brought them to the booth, he said. The music played were variations of older songs, Rowley said.

"I thought entertainment is part of the fair," Rowley said. "I thought we were being entertaining."

It is difficult for Nightscare Production to compete with the booth offering spaceburgers next door, he said.

"We're not (bringing) any attention to the booth now, so we've become invisible again," Rowley said.

Haunted house actress and booth employee Tina Pack said even young children enjoyed the display.

"We had little kids, I mean little, little kids out here (Wednesday) morning just laughing and clapping," Pack said.

Fair Manager Bill West said the Board of Directors of the Grant County Fair Association made the decision.

West, who was chair of the fair board last year, said there is a history of Nightscare Production decorating its booth in a theme inconsistent with the fair.

West is not currently a board member.

"We feel that the way that they decorate their booth is not conducive to the theme of the fair," West said.

Two years ago, the booth was decorated with bloody hand prints and footprints, he said.

"This is a place where you want to try and invite people to eat," he said.

It is not a haunted house; it is a fair booth, West said.

He said changing the decor helps the organization and the fair make more money.

Nightscare Production co-Founder Randy Reynolds said Nightscare is not the only non-profit organization facing challenges with the fair.

"We're the only one that tends to stand up and speak," he said.

The issue this year arose when someone complained and said the display was offensive, Reynolds said.

A printed agreement states it is the fair board's discretion to determine what is offensive, he said.

Reynolds said Nightscare is appealing the decision. He claims the vote was made in a closed meeting Wednesday morning. Nightscare was not offered an opportunity to talk with the board beforehand, he claims.

One board member said when this year's fair ends, the board will sit down and decide what is acceptable for fair booths, Reynolds claims.

He said he is supportive of the idea "as long as they tend to think somewhat outside the box."

As soon as the display was turned off, patronage dropped at the booth, Reynolds said.

"The whole idea of the fair is to generate money, not only for the clubs, but for the county and the fair board," he said.

Money from the food booth generated $7,000 for the haunted house last year, Reynolds said. Money from the haunted house went to charitable organizations and service projects.

A food drive at the haunted house brought in 700 pounds of food for Soap Lake and Royal City food banks, Rowley said. In addition, the organization brought Thanksgiving dinners to families in need and provided presents and dinner to families during Christmas.

Other causes benefiting from the haunted house include the Washington State Patrol benevolent fund, firefighters' fund, muscular dystrophy and Relay for Life, Reynolds said.

He estimated the haunted house generates $10,000 to $15,000 each year.

Rowley said many youth work in the haunted house.

"It keeps them off the street and out of drugs," Pack added.

Maintenance workers Linda Fuchs and Jim Kuntz sat at one of the organization's benches Wednesday, after the display was turned off but before it was taken down.

"It's just the fair board members that are offended by it," Fuchs said. "None of the kids are."

Both said they have seen children enjoying the display.

Kuntz called the decision-makers "a bunch of whiny fair-board members."

Two patrons sitting nearby who overheard the conversation, Moses Lake resident Theresa Flores and her daughter Isabella Flores, 4, expressed support for the display.

Theresa Flores said it was her daughter's enjoyment of the display that brought them over to the booth.

"I like the witches," Isabella said.