What's Happening at the Fair? June 2, 2011

This Saturday the Fairgrounds will be the site of the Derby Dollars for Scholars and Rods & Reels Rod Run event! This is a special fund raising event established to generate funds for student scholarships.

The Rods & Reels Car Show will be set up in the Fairgrounds Park and the Dollars for Scholars Sturgeon Derby & Barbecue is located on the Fairgrounds midway area. The day begins with a fishing derby for the biggest sturgeon caught before the final weigh-in time at 3:30 p.m. The Fairgrounds Park will be completely filled with beautiful cars. A delicious dinner, which includes barbecued chicken and salmon is served from 1 to 4:30 p.m. At 4:30 p.m., derby prizes are awarded and multiple raffle drawings begin. There is a free fishing pond for kids 12 and under, stocked with big trout and fishing poles will be provided for the kids to use. Lively music will be performed by the Naselle High School Marimba Band and is scheduled to play from noon– 2 p.m. All proceeds benefit scholarship programs at Wahkiakum and Naselle/Grays River Valley High Schools. It’s the place to be on June 4! This event is sponsored by Wahkiakum Dollars for Scholars Foundation & Naselle-Grays River Valley Education Association.

The huge alder trees that Dan Cothren fell last week have been cut into firewood and stacked! This was accomplished by a group of volunteers who attacked this big project and put in many hours before it was completed. First we moved all the limbs to a burn pile. Then Ed Stevens, Dan Cothren and Bill Chamberlain cut the logs into 16 inch rounds. The rounds were 2-3 feet plus wide and very hard to split with a maul ax. Watkins Tractor and Supply loaned the fair their hydraulic splitter and then the hard work really began! These huge chunks of wood had to be moved to the wood splitter and cut into firewood pieces. I would like to thank Ed Stevens, Dan Cothren and Bill Chamberlain for the hours of hard work they put into getting the logs cut up, Georgie Billings and Barbara Czarnecki for working many days in the rain helping Ed to move the heavy wood rounds to the splitter, then moving and stacking the wood. You are an amazing group of hard working people!

We have approximately two cords of fire wood and I think this would make a great raffle prize! We will be selling raffle tickets for this firewood at our rummage and book sales and at other local events this summer. The proceeds from this firewood raffle will support the operation of the Wahkiakum County Fair! The drawing will be held on the last day of Fair.

Want to be a vendor at the Wahkiakum County Fair? It’s time to give me a call and secure your space! Please leave your name, phone number and best time to call you on the recorder.

Another busy week-end at the Fairgrounds: Neil Beerbower took care of some necessary building and equipment maintenance, Jean opened up the book and rummage sale for a few hours. Jerry Ledtke put trim around six windows in the T-building. Azery Gribskov, Valle and Bryan Ledtke weeded flower beds, cleaned buildings, painted, moved benches, moved firewood, raked up bark and limbs in the park and picked up rocks in the arena. I have a long list of things to do, thanks to the volunteers who helped over the week-end, it is getting shorter!

If you need to gain access to the Fairgrounds contact Fair Manager Becky Ledtke at 360-560-0371 or you can call the Fairgrounds Office at 1-360-795-3480 and leave a message.

The next Wahkiakum County Fair Board meeting will start at 7 p.m. on June 8, in the T-building at the Fairgrounds in Skamokawa. The public is always welcome to attend.