Almira Country Fair coming Saturday

ALMIRA — The Almira Country Fair will be an all-outdoor event this year, according to JoAnn Eagle, one of the organizers, to keep activities from being spread out too far. 

“We were playing (beanbag toss) a block away from some of our other activities, and then there were kids’ activities in the park,” Eagle said. “It just kind of puts everybody in the same location.”

The fun starts at 7:30 a.m. with the Fire Department Breakfast, according to the fair’s online schedule. Registration for the parade starts at 9 a.m. and entrants can line up for staging at 9:30 at Almira Lions Memorial Park. The parade itself starts at 10 a.m.; first the kiddie parade and then the big (well, big for a town of 300-ish) parade on Third Street between Main and Locust streets. 

Across the park on Fourth Street, there’s a car show. Registration starts at 8:30 a.m., the show itself starts at 10, and the winners will be announced at 2:30 p.m. Registration for the Lions Club beanbag toss tournament begins at 10 a.m. and the tournament starts at noon. 

Vendors and food will be available on Elm Street at the south side of the park, including offerings from Hillside Catering from Okanogan and Almira’s own North Ridge Farms. There will be bouncy houses, a climbing wall and bubble stations as well as a chalk station, where attendees can vote for their favorite sidewalk art. And Wheat Country Quilters raffle tickets will be available for $1, with the money going toward scholarships for local students. 

The Almira/Coulee-Hartline Grid Kids football game will coincide with the fair that day, Eagle said. 

“They had to work pretty hard to get (it) scheduled,” Eagle said. “A lot of times, if a family had to travel to Odessa or Moses Lake, then they missed most of the fair. But if they’re here, they only have to watch the game, and they can participate in the rest of the fair.” 

The Almira Country Fair is completely run by volunteers, Eagle said, and sometimes they burn out, as happened in 2019, according to the town’s website. A new group of volunteers stepped up and saved it that year, Eagle said. 

“When you’re a small town, it’s the same people who do everything,” she said. “The Lions Club, the fire department. (But) we actually have quite a few younger families that have moved into town with elementary kids and want to be a part of everything. And that’s been a huge piece of excitement … (They come) because we have an awesome school. The numbers are small, lots of individual time.” 

    Sharon Andersen, left, and Helen Ladwig of the Wheat Country Quilters sell quilt raffle tickets at last year’s Almira Country Fair. This year’s event is Saturday.
  

    Attendees at the Almira Country Fair Saturday can vote for their favorite sidewalk chalk art.