Grant County Fair officially begins
Retired military service members raised the United States flag and the Grant County Fair Flag during the opening ceremony Tuesday morning. The Grant County fair will run from Aug 12-16 with free admission Wednesday and Thursday until 3 p.m.
CALEB PEREZ/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Grant County Fair director Jim McKiernan speaks on the importance of the Grant County Fair and thanks all of those in the community who help make the festivities possible to the extent that they operate at.
Miss Moses Lake Roundup Rodeo Queen Kaylee Stump greets the crowd during the opening ceremony for the Grant County Fair.
Fair director Jim McKiernan stands with Commissioners Kevin Burgess and Rob Jones while they give their speeches at the opening ceremony. McKiernan said the success of the fair would not be possible without the support of local leaders.
Volunteers, government officials and other members of the community stand together for the opening ceremony for the Grant County Fair. Director Jim McKiernan honored everyone present or otherwise in their efforts to support and improve the fair every year.
Slim and Curly from the touring cowboy comedy troupe take time to watch the flag raising during the opening ceremony. The duo will be seen around the fairgrounds throughout the week.
Grant County Sheriff's Department officers stand together during the flag raising at the opening ceremony. GCSD has a booth set up near the flagpole where people can check in with members from the department.
MOSES LAKE — The 2025 Grant County Fair held its opening ceremony Tuesday at 10 a.m. to kick off the festivities for the week. Fair volunteers and advisors, local politicians, and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office were all in attendance to celebrate.
“Everybody can be proud of probably one of the best fairground facilities in the state of Washington,” said Jim McKiernan, director of the Grant County Fairgrounds.
McKiernan said the opening ceremony is not only a great way to kick off the week, but also is key in recognizing and honoring the efforts of everyone involved.
The success the fair sees every year is made possible by the support of the community, he said. Everyone gets involved and plays a part, whether it’s assisting in setting up vendors, keeping up on security, keeping people entertained, or assisting with the livestock to ensure that they are receiving the care that they need.
“Without all of the support of the elected officials, the sheriff’s office, our fair advisory committee and the two to three hundred volunteers it takes to put on the fair, we wouldn’t be able to do this,” said McKiernan. “They’re all extremely supportive.”
He said the most important aspect of the fair is to recognize the people showing animals and other projects and to highlight all the hard work and dedication they put into their craft year-round.
Getting the youth involved in the projects is another foundational piece of what makes the Grant County Fair special. The director said the fair keeps the youth involved in something outside of technology and provides them with the opportunity to share their passions, whether it be with livestock, agriculture or artistic projects such as painting and drawing.
“It’s really about exhibitors and my big thing is kids in 4-H, FFA and Grange,” said McKiernan. “The youth animal projects to me is one of the biggest pieces because of the things that it teaches those kids, work ethic, attention to detail, communication skills. They get a lot of great input from their superintendents and leaders and those are skills that they’ll use for the rest of their life.”
This year’s fair will feature a variety of entertainment such as the band Perry on Friday, which will be free with entry to the fair and a variety of grounds entertainment such as the Bubbler, Slim and Curly, Reptile Isle, and Zany Zoe.
The fair will kickedoff on the hottest day of the week with a high of 101 and sunny. Temperatures will begin cooling off throughout the week with a chance of rain Friday and Saturday, but the fair advises everyone to wear sunscreen, stay hydrated and to take breaks in the shade.
“If it rains for five minutes just to wet things down, I’m okay with that,” said McKiernan.
Grant County Fair director Jim McKiernan speaks on the importance of the Grant County Fair and thanks all of those in the community who help make the festivities possible to the extent that they operate at.
Miss Moses Lake Roundup Rodeo Queen Kaylee Stump greets the crowd during the opening ceremony for the Grant County Fair.
Fair director Jim McKiernan stands with Commissioners Kevin Burgess and Rob Jones while they give their speeches at the opening ceremony. McKiernan said the success of the fair would not be possible without the support of local leaders.
Volunteers, government officials and other members of the community stand together for the opening ceremony for the Grant County Fair. Director Jim McKiernan honored everyone present or otherwise in their efforts to support and improve the fair every year.
Slim and Curly from the touring cowboy comedy troupe take time to watch the flag raising during the opening ceremony. The duo will be seen around the fairgrounds throughout the week.
Grant County Sheriff's Department officers stand together during the flag raising at the opening ceremony. GCSD has a booth set up near the flagpole where people can check in with members from the department.