Fair wraps blazing run

It was hot at last week’s Palouse Empire Fair.

How hot was it?

So hot the the lines at the lemonade stand stretched almost to Diamond.

So hot, an uncomfortable bull tried to escape Thursday’s Pee Wee Cowpokes show in favor of a shady spot outside.

So hot that Fair Manager Bob Reynolds said preliminary attendance figures from the fair’s 62nd edition were down about 3,000 from last year’s big show.

“It was a good fair. It would have been better if it hadn’t been so damn hot!” Reynolds said.

Mercury stayed above 90 for most of the blazing hot fair weekend, reportedly topping triple digits Friday, which Reynolds said had thousands fewer come than the 2010 Fair Friday.

Saturday’s gate bounced back, he said, almost doubling Friday’s attendance to put the four-day gate count near 21,000.

“I can tell by the piles of garbage in our dumpsters that we had a lot of people,” said Reynolds.

He noted pre-sale tickets, sold by fair royalty candidates, were within a couple hundred dollars of an all time record.

The fair also launched while farm families in parts of the county were still scrambling with a late harvest. One indicator of the toll was the gaps in the fair’s trailer park along the exit road. Spaces were reportedly sold out, but some reserved sites remained open because the peole who booked the sites in advance couldn’t make it to the show this year.

Among those royalty candidates, Kaela Dewan of Oakesdale took home the crown of Queen of the Palouse Empire Fair.

Dewan was named queen from the eight contestants from around the county who sought the title of Miss Palouse Empire Fair during the royalty pageant Friday night. Erin Brown of Rosalia and Haley Moser of Colton were named princesses.

Karlie Thompson of Colfax, sole contestant, was named Rodeo Queen Sunday.

The Home Arts Building won the black-and-white ribbon awarded by the Washington State Fair Commission as the fair’s top exhibit.

A crowd of more than 100 attended Sunday morning’s 9/11 memorial services. After a moment of silence in which the flag was lowered to half-staff, speeches were made by Capt. Jared Wolf, a 2000 graduate of St. John/Endicott and an eight-year soldier in the Army, and by his mother Debbie Wolf of Endicott. Also speaking were Chief Master Sgt. Wayne Terry of Davenport, a retired Air Force veteran of 37 years; Sheriff’s Chaplain Ron McMurray and County Commissioner Greg Partch.

Carmen Swannack of Lamont won the Ernie Dippel memorial trophy in the round robin competition for fitting and showing winners Saturday morning. Emma Schultheis of Colton won the reserve honors in the event, which puts the top fitting and showing winners in 4H and FFA classes for swine, sheep and beef in a round robin format.

Market stock grand champions for 4H were Caleb Berquist of LaCrosse in beef, Micah Littleton of Rosalia for swine, and Brenden Jacob of Rosalia for sheep. Reserve winners were Madison Dixon of Pomeroy for beef, Jayda Ford of Thornton for hogs, and Lizbeth Bumstead of Albion for sheep.

Market stock champions for FFA were Caleb Hanns of LaCrosse for beef, Levi Weber of Colton for hogs, and Cole Klaveano of Colfax for sheep. Reserve FFA market exhibitors were Taylor Nelson of Rosalia for beef, Katie Green of Pullman for hogs, and Klaveano for sheep.

The market sale order listed 108 sheep, 53 steers, and 112 hogs.

The fair’s grain booth display was down to just two entrants for this year with first place ribbons going to entries from Pine Grove Grange and Whitman Junior Grangers.