Big fun on a small scale

RITZVILLE — The Wheat Land Communities’ Fair isn’t as big or as flashy as some of the county fairs around central Washington, but the folks who keep it going like it just the way it is.

“It’s somewhere you can go and get an old-time traditional feeling, and you’re comfortable letting your kids roam the grounds and experience all that it has to offer,” said Board Member Lori Williams. “It’s more of a feeling than (one) specific thing,”

The fair starts Thursday in Ritzville and runs through Sunday. Starting Friday, the 56th Ritzville Rodeo will take place alongside the fair at the rodeo grounds.

This year the entertainment budget was expanded, Williams said, to be able to offer more fun that’s covered by the cost of admission. For the kids, there’s face painting, balloon art, Lego crafts, races, contests and games. Children can also ride on a little train towed around the fairgrounds behind a tractor.

“We set that aside a couple of years and thought we would bring it back to keep it fresh,” Williams said.  “It was built by a local craftsman who donated it to the fair and it’s been a very popular attraction.” 

The food vendors are mostly homegrown. There’s baked goods, barbecue, teriyaki, ice cream and the fair’s signature kraut runza, a meat and cabbage roll that’s a nod to the area’s German heritage. Local businesses will have their wares on display as well.

The heart of any small fair is the youth livestock exhibits, and Williams said those are growing.

“4-H and FFA have seen an increase in participation,” she said. “Our community (has a lot) to do with it, from support and encouragement in beginning the project all the way through the market sale, where we have generous community support, rewarding the kids for the projects that they raise and their involvement in the industry.”

The Wheat Land Communities’ Fair replaced its royalty pageants a few years ago with two elected ambassadors to represent the community for the year. This year’s ambassadors are Hagen Carlson and Reagan Korthuis, both sophomores at Lind-Ritzville High School and FFA members, according to the fair’s website.

The fair board received a grant this year that allowed for some beautification projects and improvements, including some major electrical upgrades to the fairgrounds and also the campground, Williams said. 

“The campground has been very widely used the last few years,” she said. “We thought it was important to invest in those and make it a good camping experience for not only our fairgoers but also those just stopping by during the year.”

The Wheat Land Communities’ Fair is completely volunteer-driven and mostly locally funded, largely through an annual fundraiser auction. Originally Adams County had two fairs, Board President Fritz Coon told the Columbia Basin Herald last year, one in Ritzville and one in Othello. But in 1980, the State of Washington decided that each county could have only one fair, so the Othello Fair became Adams County Fair. The Wheat Land Communities’ Fair became a private event, serving the east Adams County communities of Ritzville, Lind, Washtucna and Benge.

“We’ve appreciated our independence, honestly,” Coon said. “You don’t rely on the county for anything.”

“We’re really grateful to have our volunteer board of directors,” Williams said. “We do all the landscaping and everything through the year…It’s really exciting to be able to provide something to the community to bring everybody together and celebrate agriculture.”

For schedules, tickets and more information, visit www.wheatlandfair.com.

    Youth livestock exhibitors are one of the most important parts of the Wheat Land Communities’ Fair.
  

    Children ride on the handmade train around the Wheat Land Communities’ Fair grounds. The train will return for this year’s fair, which starts Thursday.
  

    Reagan Korthuis, left, and Hagen Carlson, both juniors at Lind-Ritzville High School, will serve as this year’s Wheat Land Communities’ Fair ambassadors.