OK folks, I’m not ready to let go of the fair, this year’s fair and past fairs. Read on.

E-mail from Cheryl

Facts from the past gleaned from the Moses Lake Herald, Columbia Basin Herald and The Neppel Record by Cheryl (Driggs) Elkins:

From the Columbia Basin Herald on Aug. 11, 1980:

Children groom pets for show

Your family dog could be a prize winner

The third annual Mutt Show sponsored by the Moses Lake-Grant County Humane Society will be held Aug. 13 at the Grant County Fairgrounds.

All youngsters between the age of 6 and 15 can enter. Registration costs $1. The event begins at 9:30 a.m. behind the 4-H building.

Pure breed and mixed-breed dogs can be entered in this show, which provides recognition for many characteristics of dogs.

Prizes will be awarded for the dog with the saddest eyes, longest tail, longest ears and best personality.

Other prizes will be given for the largest and smallest dog, the most unusual, best groomed and special awards for best of show in the purebred class and best of show in the mutt class.

Top cowboys

expected for ’80 Columbia Basin Rodeo

Top cowboys from around the United States and Canada will be featured Aug. 14-16 at the 37th Annual Columbia Basin Rodeo during the Grant County Fair.

The annual Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association event, which had 167 entrants last year, gets underway at 7:45 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the Grant County Fairgrounds arena.

Although there will be no pre-rodeo team roping this year, each evening of rodeo will kick off with wild cow race competition.

The wild cow race finals will be held Sunday afternoon.

Rodeo events scheduled include steer wrestling, bull riding, saddle bronc riding, calf roping, bareback riding and barrel racing.

In addition, country music stars Barbara Mandrell (on Thursday) and Joe Stampley (on Friday) will perform in the arena during the rodeo.

Kay Austin will perform both Saturday evening during the rodeo and during the Sunday afternoon arena show. Lynn Hilton will serve as the rodeo announcer.

The cowboys will be riding the same tough stock as last year from the Flying Five Rodeo Company of Pomeroy, operated by Sonny Riley and Don Hutsell.

For the second year in a row, official cowboy and cowgirl entries are being handled through the main PRCA office at Colorado Springs, Colo., so local organizers don’t know exactly which of the top cowboys will be on hand.

From the Columbia Basin Herald on July 10, 1952:

Osborn to run for justice job

Omer H. Osborn announced his candidacy for Justice of the Peace this week and will seek election at the November general election. A Moses Lake pioneer and former owner of a second hand store on Division Street, he held the post for six years and resigned two years ago when moving to the coast.

Ben I. Peterson was appointed to serve out the unexpired term, but Peterson himself moved out of the precinct this spring and will stand for election from his new precinct. The office carries no salary, only fees paid for services and magistrate’s work.