’90s Flannel Fest and more coming to Grant County Fairgrounds

MOSES LAKE — The Grant County Fairgrounds has a plethora of events coming up with the first up this weekend being the Fall National Antique Tractor Pull, followed by the ’90’s Flannel Fest next weekend. 

Fall National Antique Tractor Pull 

The Antique Tractor Pull is an event started by local farmer Mark Valentine, who is recognized nationally as a leader in antique tractor pulls, and is put on every year at the fairgrounds. The event features a variety of tractors that on a pull sled that Valentine put together himself.  

“If you want to see old iron and talk to people that restore that kind of stuff, it’s a great event,” said Jim McKiernan, Director of the Grant County Fairgrounds. 

This event will be held in the Agriculture Building in the Ardell Pavillion and will run from Sept. 26-28. 

Veteran Stand Down 

The Veteran Stand Down event will also be this Saturday in the 4-H Building at the Grant County Fairgrounds. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is organized by the Grant County Veterans Affairs.  

Veterans are invited to come to the event where they can receive medical checks, haircuts, surplus items, and other community resources and services.  

“It’s a pretty well-attended event,” said McKiernan. “There are a lot of local veterans in the Grant County region, and it’s really just to provide them any services that they may need and also to give away things that happen to come from military surplus.” 

’90s Flannel Fest 

This year’s ’90s Flannel Fest will be held Oct. 3 and 4 and will consist of 11 tribute bands for bands such as Sublime, Alice in Chains, Alanis Morissette, Nirvana, Foo Fighters, REM, the Cranberries and Tool. The gates open Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at noon. 

“This is our fourth year doing it and it’s been a really good event for us,” said McKiernan. “These tribute bands are pretty amazing, they sand and look like, in a lot of cases, the actual bonds and it’s a blast.” 

McKiernan said the event is 21 and over and the fairgrounds encourages people to camp overnight. The Fairgrounds will also be completely closed outside of Flannel Fest’s activities. 

This year Grant County Fairgrounds is implementing a clear bag policy to discourage people from bringing in outside beverages as that became a problem in previous years.  

Some of the food vendors that will be present at the event include Moses Lake Ice and Snow, Taqueria Mazatlan, Dragonfly Espresso and Ready and Out burgers. The Odom Corporation is co-sponsoring the event this year and will bring Coors beverages as well as Modello and Ten-Pin products.  

Flannel Fest will also have a sports bar set up this year where televisions will be set up to play college football. 

Washington Cutting Horse Fall Show 

The annual Cutting Horse show hosted by the Washington Cutting Horse Association will be held from Oct. 8-12 in the Harwood Pavillion Arena. This event will feature a variety of riders showcasing breathtaking maneuvers and split-second decision-making on their horses. 

“If you’ve never seen cutting horses before ... it’s pretty impressive,” said McKiernan. 

First Grade Farm Day 

Oct. 8 will also see first graders from around Grant County gather around at the fairgrounds for their annual Farm Day.  

TEAM Challenge 

TEAM Challenge is a barrel racing event hosted by Best Of Barrels Only and will be held at the Fairgrounds on Oct. 18-19.  

Moravida Festival 

The Moravida Day of the Dead Festival is scheduled for Nov. 1 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. this year at the fairgrounds. This event will include a variety of food vendors along with family-friendly activities, live entertainment, engaging children’s crafts and alters to honor those who have passed on. 

    A barrel racer darts around a barrel during the Moses Lake Roundup at the Grant County Fair. Another barrel race hosted by the Washington Cutting Horse Association will be held from Oct. 8-12 in the Harwood Pavillion Arena.
  

    One of the tractors moves along with the pull system behind during a prior Antique Tractor Pull event. The Antique Tractor Pull is an event started by local farmer Mark Valentine and is held annually at the Grant County Fairgrounds.
  

    Dancers perform at last year’s Moravida Festival, an event inspired by the Day of the Dead and intended to honor late loved ones. This year’s event is scheduled for Nov. 1.