Grant County Fair history barn keeps fair memories alive

MOSES LAKE — There was a time, that time being 1911, when Wilson Creek was the up-and-coming town in a county that was only two years old. Back in the day, every self-respecting county had to have a county fair, so the good folks of Wilson Creek sponsored one. 

The history barn at the Grant County Fairgrounds has a picture of the 1911 fair parade as well as a copy of the fair program. Some existing events can trace their roots back to that first fair – livestock exhibits, for example – but others are long gone. The 2026 fair isn’t sponsoring three-legged races, potato sack races, or a footrace for men weighing more than 200 pounds.

History barn superintendent Denise Keegan has collected a lot of the history from 1911 to 2026, and much of it is displayed on the barn walls. 

“Even for me, and I put up all this stuff, I still get amazed when I start reading,” she said.

Children from every school in Grant County took home awards in 1929, according to the Coulee City News. It was an extravaganza in 1931, “Grant County’s gala event,” according to the fair poster. The county baseball championship was at stake; the horseshoe tournament would pay its winners the princely sum of $10 and $15. 

The program featured a wedding, lucky couple to be announced, and a contest to find “the healthiest and prettiest Grant County baby.” 

Wilson Creek only hosted the first fair. It was transferred to Ephrata the next year, and eventually to Neppel, the town on the shores of Moses Lake that had the good fortune to be located right on a major highway. Neppel changed its name to Moses Lake in 1938. 

Keegan said she’s searched local newspaper archives for a lot of the information about the fair’s early days. Its more recent history is displayed in photographs and collections.

People have been generous with donations, she said. Grant County Commissioners have donated their official fair shirts, and the family of a longtime volunteer donated her husband’s collection of fair hats. 

Keegan has contributed a lot of pictures from recent fairs, going around the animal barns, the food court and the exhibit buildings.

“When I first started, all I could find picture-wise was either bovines or swine,” she said. “That’s when I started going around to all of the buildings and getting pictures. Pictures of everything, because nobody highlighted the rabbits or the other things the people were doing.”

The photo albums are a major attraction. Keegan said she updates them every year.

“For me, the best part is when somebody comes in and they find themselves on the wall or in one of the binders,” she said. “Yesterday there were quite a few of them, and I thought, ‘Well, that’s just cool. I captured somebody.’” 

The collections also include guest books from recent fairs, dating to 2012.  She’s always looking for more artifacts, she said, and welcomes donations. 

“I get donations, small and large ones, just about every year,” she said. 

In the case of documents or newspaper clippings, the originals aren’t necessary. 

“A lady came in and said she had some stuff from her mom, her grandmother and her great-grandmother, and maybe she could search through it,” Keegan said. “It was in the 1930s, and if I can get copies, that’s great. If you don’t want to give up the originals, copies are fine with me.”

Keegan ties each year’s exhibit to the fair theme for the year, and she added some extra touches for the country’s 250th birthday. There’s also a completely new exhibit.

“For the first time, the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center has a small display. I don’t know if they’re going to do it every year or not. But it’s really fabulous,” Keegan said. 

Keegan has been in charge of the barn for about 14 years, she said. It details the fair’s history, but Keegan said she never considered herself that interested in the subject.

After 14 years, it’s still a fun project, she said.

“I didn’t realize that I was really into history until I started doing the history for Soap Lake,” Keegan said. “And then the Centennial came up for the county, and I just continued it, and now here I am.” 

    History barn superintendent Denise Keegan looks through the guest list records, which record visitors to the Grant County Fair.
  

    Denise Keegan, history barn superintendent, talks to Dan Hendrickson about the old days, at the fair and otherwise, in Grant County.