County fair starts its 3-day run today

Things are picking up at the Wahkiakum County Fairgrounds this week. Volunteers are setting up and participants have been coming in with their entries. Some judging is already done.

"We are paying premium points," Fairground Manager Patty Dursteler wanted to stress after a recent conversation about the matter with someone who was misinformed and frustrated.

The youth barn has been painted. Paint and supplies were paid for with money raised from flea markets and last year's haunted house. Local resident Kelly Hammond volunteered her time and expertise to paint the exterior of the building, and she did it all by herself, according to Dursteler.

"The county owns the buildings," Dursteler said on Tuesday, "but we are responsible for upkeep. We pay all our bills, and work to maintain the property without money from the county. In the two and a half years that I've been here, we've been self-sufficient."

Dursteler hopes to continue work around the fairgrounds. She would like to upgrade the youth building so it can be used all year round. She'd also like to put in a grandstand and improve the park.

For now, her focus is getting ready for the fair this week. She's been in and out of the office all day going from one place to the next to handle whatever problems arise. Then she comes back in the office and sits down to share a moment and a laugh with a young boy who wants to tell her about his superpower before her phone rings again.