What's Happening at the Fair?

I received some amazing information last week from Kayrene Gilbertsen. The Wahkiakum County Fair owns a double-ended Columbia River gillnet boat! The boat was built between 1913 and 1916. It has been stored for over 30 years in the Vista Park Port Shop in Skamokawa.

Since we now have a gillnet boat, I spent some time reading up on these sturdy fishing boats. The double-ended gillnet boats were designed for fishing in rough water. We all know how quickly the Columbia River can become a white cap terror if you are in a small boat and the tide change wind starts to blow. On a double-ender, waves can come from either direction, the boat has a hull design that is sharp at both bow and stern. The hull divides the waves allowing them to pass on either side. Fishermen in this boat could let out their net and drift for long periods of time even in bad weather because it was built to slice through the waves.

The boat will be moved to the Fairgrounds in the spring and we will need help from our local fishermen to do this. I am looking forward to receiving calls from people in our community that helped restore the boat and can tell me more about its history.

Governor Gregoire is proposing to make some drastic budget cuts to our fair funding again. Last year we e-mailed our senator and representatives and the Fair funding was kept in the budget. I need your help again! Please send e-mails to the addresses below. Ask them to support keeping Fair funding in the budget. Please contact Senator Brian Hatfield at brian.hatfield@leg.wa.gov, Representative Brian Blake at brian.blake@leg.wa.gov, and Representative Dean Takko at dean.takko@leg.wa.gov. Tell them what the Wahkiakum County Fair means to our children and our community. Let's fill up their inbox with e-mails from Wahkiakum County! Last week the rains were pouring down and the Fairgrounds tide gate still had logs blocking the water from flowing through it. The blockage of this tide gate can cause the Fairgrounds and Skamokawa Grange to flood if the high tides and rain water start adding up too quickly. Bill Chamberlain and Mac Johnson volunteered their skills and equipment to remove the wood blocking the tide gate. Thank you, Bill and Mac, for all your hard work!

The Fair received a wonderful donation this week! Many thanks to Mariane Brightbill for donating her fair premium check back to the fair!

Coming up on November 18, we will hold the Wahkiakum County Fair Board’s Turkey Bingo. This is a fun night for all ages and you just might win your Thanksgiving turkey at the bingo. Keep reading this column for more details each week.

The fair office is open by appointment only. If you need to gain access to the fairgrounds contact Fair Manager Becky Ledtke at 360-560-0371 or 360-795-3480 and leave a message.

The next Wahkiakum County Fair Board meeting is November 9, 7 p.m., at the River Street meeting room in Cathlamet. The public is always welcome to attend.