Good time to be had at Adams County Fair

OTHELLO - Contestants in the open class flower show at the Adams County Fair will be greeted at the entry table by a familiar face with a new position. Ten-year-old Layken Sperl is the department's acting superintendent.

The fair opens Wednesday and runs through Saturday at the fairgrounds, 831 South Reynolds Rd., Othello.

Layken will be responsible for signing in contestants, keeping track of entries and decorating the booth. She'll be hanging out at the booth all week in company of her grandmother and grandfather, Dave and Ann Sperl, of Othello.

Layken has been helping in the booth and was promoted to the position of assistant superintendent a couple years ago, "but the lady (the designated superintendent) didn't show up two years," Layken said. So Layken ran the flower show booth, with only a little help from the adults.

"It's pretty easy. Because usually mostly the same people come in, and they know what to do. And if they don't, I can explain," she said.

Layken knows flowers, because her mom works in a nursery back home in Pendleton, Ore. The Adams County Fair is the same weekend as the Pendleton Round Up; the rodeo is such a big deal that school doesn't start until after it's over. Layken's sister is working at the hot dog stand, her mom is at the ropers' tent, it's really busy and there's no one around to look after her, so she spends the week with Grandpa and Grandma, she said.

She accompanied her grandparents to the fair, helping them out, and what with one thing and another, she's in charge of the whole open flower show.

She decorated the space mostly by herself, starting with a pot of geraniums she brought along from the nursery where her mom works in Hermiston. She unpacked and arranged all the competition vases.

"I kind of pretty much know," what to do, she said. There is adult backup around in case it's needed.

The fair opens tomorrow, but today is the day all entries are submitted. Judging for all entries begins Wednesday morning.

Entertainment starts at 11:30 a.m., the same time as the first children's tractor pull. A mini-tractor is loaded up until it can be pulled no more; kids will be competing all week.

The gates for the annual demolition derby open at 3 p.m. Wednesday; time trials for the races begin at 6:30 p.m. in the rodeo arena, with racing and the demolition derby to follow.

Thursday features continuing 4-H, FFA and junior open competition. A watermelon eating contest is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the fairgrounds.

Friday features a pie eating contest at 2:30 p.m. Draft horse competition begins at 5 p.m. in the rodeo arena. Draft horse competition is just like the kids tractor pull, except it's real horsepower. The horses must pull a sled across the rodeo arena, even as it carries heavier and heavier weights. Admission is free.

The chuck wagons roll into town for the first of two days of competition, which begins at 5:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Chuckwagon cooks are judged on the authenticity of their wagons as well the quality of their meals. Cooks use the equipment they would've used on the trail in 1890 or so, and cook-offs typically include five categories, including meat, beans, bread, potatoes and dessert. Fair goers are the lucky beneficiaries of the contest; they get to eat the chuckwagon meals. Tickets are $15 each.

The Othello Rodeo begins two nights of action Friday at 8 p.m., with the finale on Saturday night.

Saturday is the busiest day of all and begins with the annual fair parade down Othello's Main Street at 10 a.m. The parade will start on 13th Avenue, with the route extending down the street past Pioneer Park.

The diaper derby is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. at the fairgrounds. It's open to babies up to 14 months of age, but it's for crawlers only.

The Eastern Washington Cowboy Mounted Shooters ride into the rodeo arena at 5 p.m. Just like the name implies, competitors are shooting at targets, in this case balloons, from the back of a moving horse. Riders are scored on time and accuracy, and must wear traditional Western or vintage gear.

The second rodeo performance begins at a 8 p.m., with a dance to follow at the fairgrounds.