The local county fair is going on this week and I ventured over on
Wednesday to check it out. It was Senior day at the fair and I proudly stepped forward for my half-price admittance! If you are age 60, or more, the daily price to get in is only $6 and on Senior day that became a real bargain at $3.
The Southwest Washington fair has been happening since 1908 and has an interesting history in how it was created. Their website describes:
The organization was incorporated as The Lewis County Agricultural Association in November 1882, and its first Fair was held Oct. 6 ~ 9, 1891, at what is the site of today’s Fair. …in 1908 the Legislature agreed to provide the funding and stipulated the Fair was to be located between Chehalis and Centralia. The Legislature decreed that the Fair was to serve a six-county area consisting of Lewis, Thurston, Mason, Grays Harbor, Cowlitz, and Pacific Counties. The Southwest Washington Fair that was born was unique in that it was the only one created through an act of the Legislature to serve a six-county region.
This long running fair continues to provide entertainment for young and old. For my evening at the fair I wandered through all the animal barns (horses, cows, pigs, fowl, rabbits) and even a wild bear exhibit.
Somehow I missed the exotic wild animal exhibit and the beautiful tiger that they have. Now, I have to admit I went to the Grays Harbor County Fair last weekend and visited their exotic wild animal exhibit twice! Love those tigers (Go Centralia Tigers!).
Always a great adventure is seeing all the 4-H exhibits of sewing, flowers, canned and baked goods and art. Other exhibits like the granges, and general displays of arts and crafts (especially the quilts) are also a must at the fair.
I find it fascinating that such talents exist. I have been told I make mean jar of pickled beans but not sure that talent compares to the spectacular quilts I saw at the fair! Stillwaters residents were in there competing with their quilts as well!
I did enjoy a corn dog and corn-on-the-cobb at the fair so don’t forget to check out the food options while cruising down the main thoroughfare. Where else can you have 3 or 4 hours of entertainment for under $20! Click HERE to go directly to the fair website for schedule details.
If you haven’t had a chance to visit the fair this year (or for many years) do check it out. You won’t be disappointed when you see all the interesting exhibits. A great outing for a weekend activity in Lewis County.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
We have the world to live in on the condition that we will take good care of it. And to take good care of it, we have to know it. And to know it and to be willing to take care of it, we have to love it. – Wendell Berry
