Firing up the fair Adams County Fair opens Wednesday
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 9 years, 7 months AGO
Pigs are guided around the arena by their owners during market class competition at the Adams County Fair Wednesday.
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | September 15, 2016 1:45 PM
{{tncms-asset app="editorial" id="de46a362-7b99-11e6-8f48-eb2dddeae605"}}
OTHELLO — The first day of the fair is always a frenzy of washing, brushing, primping, making sure everything looks just right. And that’s just the animals.
The Adams County Fair opened Wednesday at the fairgrounds just outside Othello, the livestock barns bustling, the exhibit building full, the 4-H and Rotary, Lions and Boy Scouts food booths busy.
Traditionally the first day of the fair is dedicated to judging non-livestock exhibits and market competition for livestock exhibitors. The show rings were busy with steers, pigs and sheep and their owners making the rounds under the watchful eye of the judges.
Market class is all about the animal, how it will be graded when it’s butchered – at least as far as the judge can tell when it’s still on the hoof. The exhibitor’s technique is less important than during fitting and showing competition. So it’s less of a crisis when a steer balks at entering the arena and requires a good hearty tug, or decides to try and make a run for it, in a test of strength and wills with its owner. The owner won.
Wednesday was a beautiful early fall day, in the low 70s at showtime. That’s a good thing for exhibitors and animals alike, since hot weather makes both animals and people cranky. The pigs in 4-H market competition were well behaved, even for the kids in the beginner classes. Well, except for the pig that entered the arena, lay down and gave every indication of settling in for a nap.
Pigs being pigs, swine competition always requires a few pig bouncers, people with experience who can separate fighting pigs if necessary. Pig bouncers are up to the problem of a snoozing pig too. “Between the shoulder blades,” one said, giving the pig a good hearty slap across the back. The pig preferred its nap, but after a couple slaps it reluctantly got up and obeyed its owner.
The rabbit barn was bustling also, kids carefully grooming their rabbits before judging. The old line about the fur flying really fit in the rabbit barn.
The fair is livestock competition, and art and crafts in the exhibit building, and of course fair food. The Boy Scouts sell the elephant ears, and the Othello Rotary offers fried chicken or fish and chips. Youth groups offer enchiladas, and the Lions sell pizza and cotton candy.
The line at the 4-H hamburger booth curled halfway around the building; a dad was waiting to get in line while his daughter couldn’t quite decide what she wanted. “Text me when you’ve decided,” Dad said. So Mom, sitting five feet away, sent him a text with the family order.
The fair continues through Saturday.
ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Moses Lake Grange to sponsor candidate forum
MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Grange No. 1151 will sponsor a forum where people can listen to candidates for the Fourth Congressional District from 3 to 5 p.m. May 9 at the Grange building, 14724 Road 3 SE.
Ephrata to consider impact fees for new development
EPHRATA — The possibility of adding transportation and parks impact fees for new development will be under consideration by the Ephrata City Council, starting with a discussion April 29. Community Development Director Ron Sell said development fees would be a new thing for Ephrata. “Currently we don’t have any impact fees in place. We do have a parks mitigation fee in place,” Sell said.
Surveys of Moses Lake residents show attitudes toward service cuts, sales tax increase
MOSES LAKE — About 49% of Moses Lake residents contacted as part of a survey of community attitudes and priorities said they were satisfied with the direction of the city, with about 42% saying they thought the city was on the wrong track. The biggest concerns of survey respondents centered around homelessness and public safety. The survey was part of a larger project to get public input on possible revisions to city programs due to a deficit in the general fund. “We’re trying to understand how voters look at their values and what kinds of things you might have the opportunity to do in the future as you’re thinking about corralling this budget. Where are the opportunities, where will you find resistance and (where) will you find more agreement among voters?” said Ian Stewart, of Fulcrum Strategy group, which conducted the survey.