Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
New stage built allows for opening concert
COLFAX - Plans for the return of the Palouse Empire Fair are moving forward and is six weeks away.
New features of the "Back in the Saddle" fair in its return from last year's cancelation are a concert, Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) rodeo on Thursday and Friday nights with mini-bull riding on Saturday night, and more.
"Plans are going 100%, just like a regular fair," said Bill Tensfeld, fair director. "It's a good feeling, I'll tell you."
New attractions include a 60-foot long by 40-foot stage to be erected in the middle of the rodeo arena for recording artist Neal McCoy. The opening act is Washington State University (WSU) graduate Chance McKinney.
"It's going to kick off the fair like we haven't kicked off the fair before," said Tensfeld.
The concert came together after the grandstand debuted at the 2019 fair.
"After we built the grandstand, we thought, we should have a concert," said Tensfeld. "I don't know if there's ever been a 60-foot stage in Whitman County."
The fair hired a production manager out of Spokane to orchestrate the stage.
"It'll be out of there by sun-up Thursday," said Tensfeld, of the fair's opening day.
4-H horse riders perform the same morning.
The rabbit show was moved to Aug. 15 due to a hemorrhagic disease among the animals.
"We look forward to having rabbits back for the 2022 fair with a vaccine in place," said Fair Manager Janel Goebel.
Other early activities include the cat show on Aug. 15. The change is to allow for more participation, as those showing cats during fair days created conflicts with showing other animals. While the cat show is outside of the fair, the ribbons are being awarded during the fair.
The deadline to register for cat showing is Aug. 1.
Early entry for still-life exhibits starts Aug. 23.
A new fair ticketing machine arrived last week at the fair office.
Fair planning began on April 1 as the situation with the pandemic became clear.
The theme for 2021 following last year's cancellation is "Back in the Saddle."
Goebel explained that if virus restrictions came back and the fair went away once more, they have a contingency plan.
"For next year's theme, we could add the word, "again", to our materials for this year. 'Back in the Saddle, Again'," she said.
"That's what happens when you mix emergency management with the fair," Tensfeld said, who serves as the county's head of emergency management.
The dates of the Palouse Empire Fair are Sept. 9-12.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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