It's a job just getting ready for the fair
Alexandria Ames checks entries in the youth building at the Grant County Fair during setup Monday. The fair begins its four-day run today.
MOSES LAKE - There's not a lot of time to waste, not even on a blast-furnace-hot day in the exhibit buildings at the Grant County Fairgrounds, many of which don't have air conditioning. It's Monday morning and Tuesday is coming fast.
When it's Tuesday it's too late. "The fair is open. Everything needs to be done," Roylene Scoggin, co-superintendent of the quilt entries, said. The 2014 Grant County Fair opened this morning.
But on Monday morning the sidewalk was lined with cars and the buildings were bustling with volunteers hanging exhibits and pinning on award ribbons. Fair judging takes place Sunday.
Scoggin said the volunteer crew got all the quilts on display in 90 minutes. (Her co-superintendent is Barbara Bolton, she said.)
Michelle Jeske, yarn arts and home decor superintendent, said the number of entries was "a little better than last year." But that wasn't true over at the arts and crafts building.
"Way, way, way, down from previous years," building superintendent Raeann Katz said. The entry system suffered from some glitches, which had an effect on participation, Katz said. The entry process is being revised for 2015, she said, and should work better.
Regardless of the number of entries, "we really do like to see the talents of the public," Diane Moore said. Moore is the superintendent of the canning, baking, quilting and needle arts building. "We get some awesome things," she said.
The exhibit building volunteers weren't the only ones working Monday morning. They were getting the cash register ready at the Block 40 booth, cleaning out the back, sweeping the floor. Block 40, of course, is a Grant County Fair institution. Almost everyone who's ever been to the fair has had some Block 40 ice cream.
By definition an institution has been around for a while, and ice cream machines that are institutions usually need a checkup before they go to work for the week. Block 40 has it covered. "Guy comes out of Spokane, services our machines, makes sure they're still working," Leo Gaddis said. Gaddis has been supervising the Block 40 booth for "about three days past forever," he said.
The Moses Lake Eagles Lodge has been working on its booth for about three months, said Jerry Salinas, one of the lodge trustees. The Eagles serve breakfast and lunch all day long, all during fair week. "From Sunday to Sunday," Salinas said. "First (booth) open, last one to close," he said.