‘Having a Ball’
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year AGO
The Wheat Land Communities Fair begins Thursday, with games, entertainment and lots of youth livestock exhibits.
COURTESY PHOTO/WHEAT LAND COMMUNITIES FAIR
Nathaneil Christman shows his prize-winning zucchini at the Wheat Land Communities Fair last year.
There’s lots of simple family fun to be had at the Wheat Land Communities Fair this weekend.
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | August 27, 2025 3:30 AM
RITZVILLE — The theme for this year’s Wheat Land Communities Fair is “Having a Ball since 1981,” and attendees can expect to, said fair committee member Lori Williams.
“We had good weather and a good turnout last year,” Williams said. “We know it's hot right now, but we're hoping that levels off and that the community comes out and just enjoys time on the fairgrounds.”
The fair begins Thursday at 8 a.m. with non-livestock judging, followed by various livestock exhibitions and gymkhanas throughout the day. The Showring Shuffle youth dance will finish off the day.
Friday is when the fair really takes off. The morning is again devoted to livestock exhibits, but at noon the children’s activities begin. Entertainment will include bubble cannon and jelly gun fights, which are something like paintball, Williams said, bounce houses and a Tag the Van activity, where anybody can stop by and make their mark on a vehicle. Amy’s Artistic Expressions will be there as well with face painting, caricatures, airbrush tattoos and balloon twists.
At 4 p.m., the Adams County Sheriff’s Office will hold a demonstration, and the Ritzville Rodeo begins at 7 p.m.
The Ritzville Community Parade will take over the town’s historic downtown area, with the Kiddie Parade beginning at 10:45 and the main parade at 11. Children’s activities will continue through the day, as well as magic shows at regular intervals through the afternoon.
The livestock auction will be Saturday at 1:30 p.m., providing a chance for buyers to stock their freezers and contribute to the community at the same time.
“Numbers are strong, so we're excited to have a good market and showmanship class this week, and then cap it off with our market sale,” Williams said. “We are a small community with businesses supporting Lind, Ritzville, Washtucna and Benge. So we're appreciative of the businesses that step in and support youth in agriculture, and anyone is welcome to participate or to purchase meat for their own use or just supporting the youth exhibitors.”
The theme was chosen to represent the canned goods department, just one of the various home-grown fair categories participants can enter, Williams said.
“(It’s) very fun to highlight our different departments,” she said. “Everybody has their unique twist on things and (different) abilities, and it's fun to see those showcased at the fair.”
Wheat Land Communities Fair
Aug. 27-31
Wheat Land Communities Fairgrounds
811 E. Main Ave., Ritzville
Nathaneil Christman shows his prize-winning zucchini at the Wheat Land Communities Fair last year.
There’s lots of simple family fun to be had at the Wheat Land Communities Fair this weekend.ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Quincy National Night Out scales down
QUINCY — Quincy’s National Night Out was more compact this year, which worked out well, said QPD Sgt. Joe Westby, who’s in charge of event planning for the Quincy Police Department. “National Night Out is a big event, and the fact that we’re able to shrink it up is like a breath of fresh air,” Westby said. “If you're always doing the same thing, it's kind of nice to switch things up and see how it works.” National Night Out took place Thursday on the block of C Street next to the police station, a shift from previous years when it was held at Lauzier Park. The smaller space meant fewer emergency vehicles for children to explore, but it also meant less walking for attendees. Grant County Fire District 5 brought a fire truck, and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office had a patrol boat. Renew, the Grant County behavioral health agency, had a booth and so did Quincy Partnership for Youth. Veterans Operation Creation sang the national anthem, and the Quincy Animal Shelter brought kittens that piled over each other making friends with passersby. As before, the QPD served grilled hot dogs.
Quincy Police retirements leave big shoes to fill
QUINCY — There are some big shoes to fill at the Quincy Police Department. “We’re losing 48 years of experience between them,” Quincy Police Chief Ryan Green said at the retirement party for Capt. Jorge Trujillo and Det. Damon Powell Thursday. Trujillo, who grew up in Sunnyside, has been with QPD for 19 years, he said, coming on as a patrol officer fresh out of the military. From there he served as a field training officer, a detective and finally captain. “I consider him my left-hand man,” Green said. “He runs the operations side of the house … He knows the agency very well, and he knows the community.” Trujillo has some projects around the house to tackle now that he’s retired, he said.
Big fun on a small scale
Wheat Land Communities’ Fair opens Thursday
RITZVILLE — The Wheat Land Communities’ Fair isn’t as big or as flashy as some of the county fairs around central Washington, but the folks who keep it going like it just the way it is. “It’s somewhere you can go and get an old-time traditional feeling, and you’re comfortable letting your kids roam the grounds and experience all that it has to offer,” said Board Member Lori Williams. “It’s more of a feeling than (one) specific thing,” The fair starts Thursday in Ritzville and runs through Sunday. Starting Friday, the 56th Ritzville Rodeo will take place alongside the fair at the rodeo grounds. This year the entertainment budget was expanded, Williams said, to be able to offer more fun that’s covered by the cost of admission. For the kids, there’s face painting, balloon art, Lego crafts, races, contests and games. Children can also ride on a little train towed around the fairgrounds behind a tractor.