A supplement to The Omak-Okanogan County Chronicle Sept. 7, 2011
Page 2 — Okanogan County Fair Preview
Dee Camp/The Chronicle
Dee Camp/The Chronicle
Berg Brothers Pavilion is home to the swine exhibits and the Market Stock Sale.
Prize-winning produce can be viewed in the 4-H and Horticulture buildings Dee Camp/The Chronicle
Okanogan County Fairgrounds
Champion steers can be seen in the beef barn.
Sheila Corson/The Chronicle
Poultry — along with dogs, bunnies and other small animals — spend fair weekend at the south end of the grounds.
Fair Preview © 2011 The Omak-Okanogan County Chronicle Owned and operated by Eagle Newspapers Inc. Roger Harnack, editor and publisher Dee E. Camp, managing editor Lynn Hoover, ad manager 618 Okoma Drive • P.O. Box 553 Omak, WA 98841 509-826-1110 or 800-572-3446 509-826-5819 fax
Sheila Corson/The Chronicle
Dee Camp/The Chronicle
Al Camp/The Chronicle
The midway offers shade, grass, entertainment and plenty of food.
Floriculture is in the Arts and Crafts Building.
Grandstands and arenas host horse racing, show riding and other events.
SCOTT M. BESSIRE Certified Public Accountant
Enjoy Your County Fair! Fax: 509-422-5002 scottb@communitynet.org
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Okanogan County Fair Preview — Page 3
Fair offers the familiar — and new twists By Sheila Corson The Chronicle OKANOGAN – The Okanogan County Fair will feature traditional amenities as well as some new for the 64th annual event Sept. 8-11. As usual, the barns will be filled with rabbits to horses to cows and chickens. Parks and Recreation Board member Lynda Hotchkiss said she knows the fair is a highlight for 4H members every year. Many adults and other children also look forward to the atmosphere and “sense of coming together.” “I know the kids of the county really look forward to the fair,” Hotchkiss said. Admission is $8 Thursday, Friday and Saturday; $5 sunday; $20 for general and exhibitor season passes; $25 for a family pass. The exhibitor-only fee, which does not include admission, is $5. Vendor slots are filled and a waiting list ready, Superintendent Carl Christensen said. Most are returning vendors, but a few new ones will set up booths this year. The food vendors will add Lenore’s Tamales and Tiki Hut to the options this year, Christensen said. There will also be a few other craft and equipment vendors. Okanogan County Master Gardeners will set up a booth in the Agriplex this year instead of just in the horticulture barn. Christensen said the group will be selling items. Professor Bamboozle will return this year, with singing act TRAVL*N OPRY making its debut. Washington State Nashville Country Stars will fill many slots at the stage to keep the music going. The Stars, Methow Mountaineers and Standing Room Only will lead dances Thursday through Saturday nights. All the big events will be the same as before, with the 2012 fair queen pageant at 7 p.m. Thursday, round robin competition at 10 a.m. Saturday, Market Stock Sale at 3 p.m. Saturday, Parade of Champions at 11 a.m. Sunday, queen coronation at 2 p.m. Sunday and the Fur and Feather Auction at 2 p.m. Sunday. Entries began to pick up last week, with exhibitors trying to beat the new deadlines. A change this year means no late entries will be taken on Wednesday, Sept. 7, as had been previously allowed. Christensen said the change was made in hopes of saving staff time and, therefore, money. It should also make judging easier when all items are registered
Sheila Corson/The Chronicle
A 2010 poultry entrant and his chicken see eye to eye.
“ I think the kids of the county really look forward to the fair. Board member Lynda Hotchkiss
” ahead of time. Sunday’s fair has been cut back by two hours to end at 3 p.m. Because of that, Sunday ticket prices were trimmed by $3, to be $5 for the day instead of $8, Christensen said. Exhibit pickup, has changed to 3 p.m. Sunday. A bulls and barrels event and horse races will also be on tap. Premium points have gone under the budget ax this year, too.
Christensen said budget concerns have changed the payout from 11 cents per point to a maximum of 6 cents per point. If the budget is squeezed too tight, premium points might be less than 6 cents, Christensen said. The board will cut back if necessary to avoid a budget deficit. Online registration was available this year through a new fair website, www.okanogan fair.org.
GOOD LUCK FAIR PARTICIPANTS!
Dee Camp/The Chronicle
A market stock steer pauses in the 2010 fair sale ring.
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Page 4 — Okanogan County Fair Preview
Schedule of events 8 a.m. 9 a.m. 11 a.m. 1 p.m. 3 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 5 p.m. 7 p.m. 8-10 p.m. 10 p.m. 8 a.m. 9 a.m. 11 a.m. Noon-1 p.m. 1-1:30 p.m. 1 p.m. 1:30-3:30 p.m. 3 p.m. 3:30-4 p.m. 4-4:30 p.m. 4:30–6:45 p.m. 6 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 7 p.m. 7-11 p.m. 10 p.m. 8 a.m. 9 a.m.
10 a.m. Noon-1:30 p.m. 1 p.m. 1 p.m. 2 p.m. 2-3 p.m. 3 p.m. 3-5 p.m. 3 p.m. Pavilion 5–5:30 p.m. 5:30–6 p.m. 5:30 p.m. 6-8:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 9-12 p.m. 10 p.m. 9 a.m. 9 a.m. 10 a.m. 10 a.m. 12 p.m. 1 p.m. 2-3 p.m. 3 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 8 Horse events start Rabbit judging Fairgrounds open Beef, hogs and sheep livestock classes Produce judging PUD electricity demonstration Rabbit fitting and showing demonstration Davis Shows Northwest Carnival opens Little People fitting and showing – sheep Lads and Lassies sheep lead contest Fair queen pageant Nashville Star dance, Brock Hires, DJ Fairgrounds close Friday, Sept. 9 Horse events start Fairgrounds open Livestock fitting and showing Poultry fitting and showing Rabbit fitting and showing PUD electricity demonstration Open mike karaoke Audre Belt Goat judging Nashville Country Star Davis Show Carnival opens Kelli Isaacson Audre Belt Nashville Country Star dance Horse racing registration Glenn Herriman Memorial Bull Riding 4-H Fashion Show Methow Mountaineers Band dance Fairgrounds close Saturday, Sept. 10 Horse games Fairgrounds open Livestock judging FFA and 4-H Dog check-in Rabbit agility contest Best dressed rabbit Round robin fitting and showing contest Open mike karaoke FFA tractor driving and produce judging Horse racing begins Best-dressed Goat Parade Poultry judging Brock Hires and Friends Davis Show Carnival opens Nashville Country Star Market Stock Sale Kelli Isaacson Audre Belt Horse race registration Nashville Country Star Glenn Herriman Memorial Bull Riding Standing Room Only band dance Fairgrounds close Sunday, Sept. 11 Fairgrounds open FFA Apple Bin Race Cowboy Church Parade of Champions Final Day for Davis Shows Carnival Horse racing begins Fur and Feather Auction Fair Queen coronation Fair closes, exhibits may be removed
A porkr sticks its snout over a railing during the 2010 fair Market Stock Sale. This year’s sale is at 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10.
Arena Rabbit barn Show area Horticulture building Courtyard Rabbit barn By horse barns Sheep barn Sheep barn Stage Stage
Arena Barns Poultry barn Rabbit barn Courtyard Stage Stage Goat barn Stage By horse barns Stage Stage Stage Race Office Arena
Dee Camp/The Chronicle
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Okanogan County Fair Preview — Page 5
Twins duke it out for pie supremacy By Zachary Van Brunt The Chronicle TONASKET – Just add a handful of blueberries. That’s the idea Tim Jackson, 15, had to build upon his grandmother’s recipe to win 2010’s Okanogan County Fair grand champion prize for apple pie. There’s only one problem: His twin sister Elizabeth had won grand champion in the category for the previous two years. “The first two years I made a pie and the second year I made it by myself,” Elizabeth said. After such a success, their mother, Darla, off-handedly suggested that Tim make a pie last year. “Oh,” Elizabeth said. “It was on.” That cluster of blueberries started a sibling rivalry that will continue at this year’s fair, though both brother and sister have been tight-lipped about their current recipes. The Tonasket High School sophomores have been submitting entries the fair for four years. Tim has entered everything from swine and rabbits to Legos. He also won reserve grand champion for his chocolate chip cookies last year. Elizabeth has also entered swine and rabbits at previous fairs. She’s also shown a miniature horse and submitted a chocolate zucchini cake. Their mother said both of her children have been well-taught in the ways of baking by their grandmother, Carmen Duncan, Tonasket. “She makes wonderful pies,” Darla said. “She has the skill of baking. She’s just really good at it.” Both brother and sister been hush-hush on their ideas for the 2011 fair – most likely from a suspicion of sibling espionage – but each has promised something new and different. Their father, Tim Sr., said he and Darla started their children in the fair to teach them responsibility. “We want to be involved,” he said. “They’re growing up and in a few years they’re gone. So we get the family time. It’s pretty important to us.” Aside from being active at the fair, both teens remain active in their school. Elizabeth has been involved with FFA going on two years. Tim said he plans on joining this
Dee Camp/The Chronicle
Tim Jackson’s winning apple pie from 2010 school year. The sister has already participated in a number of produce and livestock judging events as far away as the Puyallup Fair. This year both twins plan on again entering swine, cookies and rabbits, while Tim plans on entering a self-feeder for pigs. And they’ll duke it out again in the apple pie competition. As the twins work their way through high school, Elizabeth already has her sights set on studying animal science at Washington State University. Tim said he’s still working on figuring out what he wants to do after high school. “I just kind of take it one day at a time,” he said. In the meantime, both brother and sister are active in the local sports scene.
Zachary Van Brunt/The Chronicle
Elizabeth and Tim Jackson cuddle rabbits at the family farm near Tonasket. Tim plays football and soccer, while Elizabeth kicks and/or throws a soccer ball, basketball and softball. Since Darla’s mother helped educate the twins on pie-making, Tim Sr. said he appreciated how
family traditions have been handed down through the generations. “That’s been kind of something neat to pass along,” he said. Later he and Darla stepped outside to watch the twins work
with the swine. “Don’t follow him into that!” Tim Sr. said to Elizabeth as she was working with a pig. “It’s just mud!” she yelled back. “... and that’s my daughter,” he said with a chuckle.
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Page 6 — Okanogan County Fair Preview
Fair continues on ever-tighter budget “
By Dee Camp The Chronicle OKANOGAN – The Okanogan County Fairgrounds is being readied for this week’s fair as much as possible, given the limited budget. One new feature is a volunteerbuilt animal-washing station in the Beef Barn. Another is fresh paint in some areas, using donated paint. The fair has always relied on volunteers, but they’re more critical than ever because of cutbacks in state funding, fair Clerk Loretta Houston said. “We need a lot of (financial) help,” she said. “We pretty much have to support ourselves.” Although the fair got $38,000 from the state in March, officials expect more cuts in the coming years. That state money doesn’t go far toward the fair’s $105,000 budget, so fair officials are trying to trim wherever possible, fairgrounds Superintendent Carl Christensen said. The state budget includes a fair fund of $1.75 million per year in 2012 and 2013, a decrease of $250,000 annually from the previous level. Still, the Washington State Fairs Association says that good news, considering the cuts made to other programs and the original amounts proposed. “We’re expecting 75 percent of the previous amount, but that could be taken away at any time if they need the money,” Christensen said. Okanogan County used to contribute to the fair, but does not any longer. On the revenue side, the fair charges admission and to exhibit, and charges for camping and vendor space, Christensen said. Vendors are being charged more this year in the first increase in nearly a decade. The fair also gets a cut of the Davis Shows carnival proceeds, about $2,100 last year. And while the fair attracts hundreds of volunteers, even they represent an expense, he said. Many want free admission or get in on $10 vendor passes that get handed around among business or group members. Christensen said the Parks and Recreation Board, which operates the fair and grounds, has looked at a variety of expenses and areas that might have hidden costs. For example, those who camp on the grounds are charged for camping, but often set up before
We’re expecting 75 percent of the previous amount, but that could be taken away at any time if they need the money. Superintendent Carl Christensen
” Dee Camp/The Chronicle
The Davis Shows Carnival is one source of revenue for the fair. the fair and bring a vehicle full of people who live on the grounds and don’t pay daily admission. That probably amounts to a few thousand dollars in lost revenue over a several-year period, he said. The fair also pays for staffing the gates, a duty that used to be handled by volunteers. The $4,250 contract fee goes to a community group, currently the Malott Grange. Other expenses for the weekend include $4,000-$5,000 for electricity and $3,000-$4,000 for garbage pickup. Jail trusties supplement the volunteers and three paid staff members. One cost-cutting measure has been to require pre-registration of all entries. The deadlines were an Aug. 31 postmark for mailed entries, Sept. 2 for over-the-
counter registrations and Tuesday, Sept. 6, for online registration. The goal was to cut the need for additional staff to accept entries and to give building superintendents a better idea of how many entries they had so they could plan displays and get everything judged before the fair opens at 9 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 8.
for various colored ribbons earned by exhibits. This year, the payout is up to 6 cents per point – down from 11 cents last year — and the point values for ribbons also have been decreased, Houston said. Some superintendents may take late entries, but that decision is up to the individual, she said. Late entries may be ineligible for premium points. Among the cuts considered locally is cutting the fair from four days to three, as it was in 1961, or taking other actions, Christensen said earlier this year.
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But entries trickled in. With a couple days to go before the deadline there were fewer than 300 entries, though Houston predicted “we’ll get hit hard” at the deadline. Last year there were more than 800 exhibitors. Ten years ago, 937 exhibitors were paid 9 cents per premium point - a total of nearly $10,600, but a payout lower than any of the six previous years. They entered 6,477 exhibits. In 2000, exhibitors received more than $17,500 in premium money – paid for points awarded
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Okanogan County Fair Preview — Page 7 Queen candidates Siobhan O’Connor, from left, Shannon Westby and Callie Barker will square off during a pageant at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8, at the fair. The winner will be crowned at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11. At right is 2011 Okanogan County Fair Queen Bekah Thomason of Omak. Sheila Corson/The Chronicle
Three seek fair queen’s crown By Sheila Corson The Chronicle OKANOGAN – Three girls will compete for the crown of Okanogan County Fair Queen this weekend. Contestants are Callie Barker, 16, an Oroville High School junior; Siobhan O’Connor, 16, an Okanogan High School junior; and Shannon Westby, 17, an Omak High School senior. The girls will compete in the annual pageant at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8. Outgoing Queen Bekah Thomason will hand off her crown at the coronation at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11. Barker said she wants to be the queen because she feels she can represent all the fun that fair has to offer. For the last 13 years, Barker has shown a horse at fair, as well as occasional sewing, baking, horticulture and other entries. When she was younger, she didn’t realize the fair had a queen, Barker said. But once she understood what the queen does, she decided she wanted to support the fair by being queen. “It’s something I’ve grown up with and I love,” she said. Barker also has been a part of cross country, basketball, track, FFA and 4-H, and will be in the Running Start college program this year. She is the daughter of Phil and Terri Barker.
O’Connor said she wants to be the queen because she has enjoyed the fair since she was little and thinks she could do a good job representing it. She remembers going with her school classes as a child and then “making my parents take me later.” As part of the fair, she has shown a horse for the past four years, but also started exhibiting a goat and baked goods. She also didn’t know about the queen as a child, but is good friends with Thomason, who encouraged her to try out. O’Connor said as she watched
Thomason, her interest grew and she decided she wanted the role. “I love fair,” she said. Her other activities include 4H, Future Business Leaders of America and Knowledge Bowl. She is the daughter of Julia and Dennis O’Connor. Westby said she wants to opportunity to travel and meet other people as fair queen. “I think it would be a great opportunity to experience what it’s like around other people and to meet new people,” she said. She has moved back and forth between Omak and the West Coast
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of Washington over the past 10 years, but has entered whatever fair she could wherever she ends up, Westby said. She has shown a rabbit and baked goods, and will show her horse for the first time this year. Since she first moved to the area at 4 years old, Westby said she has wanted to be the fair
queen. She has watched them with interest and wants to be able to travel to other places, especially rodeos. Westby has also been involved in fastpitch softball, barrel racing, pole bending and is learning team roping. She is the daughter of Teresa Westby and Jack Cutchie.
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Page 8 — Okanogan County Fair Preview
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Calling all Lovers of Liberty!
Fair Queen Bekah Thomason rides in the Chesaw Fourth of July Rodeo parade. She’ll reign over this weekend’s festivities.
Title helps Thomason out of comfort zone Queen says year was better than expected By Sheila Corson The Chronicle OKANOGAN – A year of growing outside her comfort zone has helped Okanogan County Fair Queen Bekah Thomason. Thomason, a 16-year-old Omak junior, said her past year as queen has been great, and she’s been able to meet many people. Along the road, she’s been challenged to grow in public speaking skills and to be more outgoing. “I’m not as shy as I used to be,” Thomason said. When she became queen a year ago, she thought that might be the case. “It wasn’t as I expected it,” she said. “It was better.” Royalty adviser Madison Shellenbarger agreed that Thomason had a wonderful, “A-
plus” year. “She’s come out of her shell like none other,” Shellenbarger said. Her highlights have been making appearances at local rodeos and helping with the Spring Fair Home and Garden Show, Thomason said. She has enjoyed sharing information about the fair with others. “I like the feeling of standing for something that I really support,” Thomason said. Another fond memory is hiring her younger sister Jennah, 9, to serve as pooper scooper in parades. Sometimes, Jennah would get more applause for her work than her royal big sister. Thomason said she enjoyed seeing the smile on her sister’s face when that happened. In the future, Thomason is considering a run for the Chesaw Rodeo queen, as well as possibly trying out for Miss Omak Stampede in a few years. This year, she enters the
Running Start college program. After she graduates with her diploma and associate degree, Thomason hopes to go to either Washington State University or University of Idaho because they both have good equine programs. “Whatever career I pick, I want to do with horses because that’s what I love,” she said. She is the daughter of Joe Thomason and Melissa Thomason.
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Okanogan County Fair Preview — Page 9
TRAVL*N OPRY performers will stroll around the fairgrounds during this year’s event.
Entertainers take the stage By Sheila Corson The Chronicle OKANOGAN – The Okanogan County Fair will feature a new act this year, TRAVL*N OPRY. The group will walk the fairgrounds singing and playing country music, with their wagon in tow, Entertainment Superintendent Gwen Whitley said. Several fair team members saw the group at different venues and were impressed, she said. Bruce and Betsy Mullen lead the TRAVL*N OPRY with horses Miss Molly and Eagle and driver Howdy. Songs can be from Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline, Elvis and others. Bruce Mullen’s first recording contract was with Dot Records in Hollywood, Calif. He released “Auctioneer Love” with Bonnie
Guitar that charted for six weeks in Billboard Magazine. He also has performed with other country music stars and recorded with Buck Owens Enterprises and Capital Records. The duo teamed up in 2002. In 2007, they added Christian country music, releasing six singles since then that have made the charts in the U.S., Europe and Australia. They were voted into the Top 10 for vocal duo of the year at the Inspirational Country Music Awards in Nashville, Tenn., in 2008 through 2010. Returning to the fair this year is Professor Bamboozle, a balloon artist, magician and comedian. He has entertained crowds with his illusions and “balloonary loonary” since 2009. A Nashville Country Star dance with DJ Brock Hires will be on Thursday night at the stage for the first of three dances.
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On Friday, the Methow Mountaineers band will play for a dance. The group, led by Frank Almquist, is a Bluegrass band from the Methow Valley. On Saturday, Standing Room Only will take the stage for another chance to dance to country Western tunes. The group from East Wenatchee is headed by Gary Bowling and has played at the fair for several years, Fair Superintendent Carl Christensen said. During each day, the Washington State Nashville Country Star competitors will take to the stage at various times. The group includes some former contestants and hosts of the annual event.
Sheila Corson/The Chronicle
Professor Bamboozlecreates balloon art for youngsters at the 2010 fair; he’ll be back this year.
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Page 10 — Okanogan County Fair Preview
Fair success begins with fall calf sales By Cheryl Schweizer The Chronicle BRIDGEPORT – Cameron Cavadini said the road to success at the Okanogan County Fair and the North Central Washington District Fair begins in October, when calves are sent to market. Before the trucks leave, Cavadini picks out a couple for the fair. He gets a little help from his dad, Dan, and grandfather, Norm, who look for certain characteristics. “Basically, what we look for is one of our top calves in our herd, Cameron Cavadini said. “Not too big, not too small, just an allaround good calf. Something you want to eat, basically.” T-Bone, the calf chosen for this fair season, fit all the criteria. “He’s pretty finished (proper mix of fat and muscle), he’s got a nice flat back on him and he’s wide. The wider he walks, the better calf he’s going to be,” Cavadini said. Cavadini, 16, and a junior at Bridgeport High School, got his start at the District Fair and has a lot of experience in the show ring. “I’ve been doing this since, like, third grade, I guess.” He now competes in FFA. Competitors are judged in two categories - market stock, and fitting and showing. “In market, it’s all in the calf. In showing, it’s half you, how confident you are, and half how your calf looks,” he said. Success in the market stock
Cheryl Schweizer/The Chronicle
Cameron Cavadini works with T-Bone in the days before the Okanogan County Fair. class depends on a calf’s build, body and how he’s grown and fattened up, Cavadini said. Success or failure is up to the judge. “It’s all in the judge’s day. What the judge likes, basically,” Cavadini said. The judge in Waterville apparently didn’t like what he saw in T-Bone – the calf brought home a red ribbon. Fitting and showing competition is all about
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presentation and discipline, both for the calf and its handler. Cavadini and T-Bone came home from Waterville with a blue ribbon. “You’ll get the wilder calves
that haven’t been around people as much, and you’ll get the more calm calves,” Cavadini said. Wilder calves are more aggressive; “they’re leaders, not followers.” The difference is training.
“It’s all about working with them. If you want to do good, you’ve just got to put the time into them. Sometimes you don’t have the time, so you’ve just got to make it,” he said. Cavadini said he started training T-Bone right after school was dismissed for the summer, and the goal was to work about 45 minutes per day. “Sometimes it wasn’t as much as I wish I could’ve spent. For me, Dad keeps me working, basically.” The Cavadini family owns a wheat ranch on Pearl Hill south of Bridgeport. Both the District Fair and the Okanogan County Fair come at the end of the summer, with warm weather. “When it get hotter, you’ve got to give him his break” and let the animal get a drink of water and rest in the shade, he said. “In Okanogan, where you get callbacks for fitting and showing, you’re in there (the arena) for an hour. Hot steer and hot you,” he said. Showing steers is a lot of work, but it’s also a lot of fun, Cavadini said. “The competitive part would be the most fun for me. You get to compete with some of your buddies.
Okanogan County Fair Preview — Page 11
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A prize-winning porker enters the sale ring at the 2010 Okanogan County Fair.
Prize-winning animals offered Youth can sell their animals at fair sales By Dee Camp The Chronicle OKANOGAN – Youth who show steers, swine and lambs can sell their animals during the Saturday Market Stock Sale. Last year, nearly 200 animals sold, bringing in an estimated $216,000 for their young owners. The 3 p.m. sale, in the Berg Brothers Pavilion, attracts a crowd of about 300 for an afternoon of bidding on grand and reserve champion hogs, steers and lambs, plus blue and red ribbon animals. FFA, 4-H and junior open competitors sold 119 hogs, 50 steers and 27 lambs during the 2010 sale. Bidders have a choice of buying the animals outright or paying support – the difference between the packer price and the animal’s sale price. Packer prices vary from year to year, and are set just before the fair.
Processors set a floor price, at which bidding starts. Buying an animal is a great way to show support of exhibitors’ hard work, fair officials said. Upon arrival at the sale, those who plan to bid can sign up for a bidder number and pick up a listing of all exhibitors and their animals. The listing includes the type of ribbon the animal earned and its weight. Sales are based on price per pound. Those who choose to keep an animal they buy can arrange to have it cut and wrapped. Historically, bidders have included individuals – sometimes relatives or friends of the exhibitors – plus businesses, service clubs, and Hamilton Youth Foundation and Friends of the Fair, organizations that chip in to support youth. A second sale, the Fur and Feather Auction, is planned at 1 p.m. Sunday for youngsters to sell smaller animals such as poultry and rabbits. Purchases may be retained by the buyer or donated to someone else.
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Page 12 — Okanogan County Fair Preview
Wild horses kick off bull and barrel event By Al Camp The Chronicle OKANOGAN – Wild horse races will kick off bull riding and barrel racing Sept. 9-10 at the Okanogan County Fair, 175 Rodeo Trail. A grand entry and Chesaw drill team will perform around 6:30 each night. The Sonny Moses Memorial horse race at 7 p.m. will pit five Herriman teams of three from the Colville and Yakama reservations against wild horses provided by Nespelem’s Steve Palmer. Sonny Moses, who competed at the Omak Stampede and many other professional wild horses, died this spring, his brother and organizer Ralph Moses said. Among teams entered are Rob Parisien from Nespelem, Chris Smith from Omak, and George Lara and Leroy Morningowl from the Yakama Reservation. Moses said teams would be using quick-release saddles and ropes. “That’s mandatory, even in the pro rodeos,” he said. The inaugural Glenn Herriman Memorial Bullriding, with $2,000 added to the purse, will follow the wild horse race. The bull riding honors
Racing returns to the line-up By Al Camp The Chronicle
Al Camp/The Chronicle
A rider heads out on his leg of the pony express during the 2010 fair. longtime stock contractor Herriman, who died from cancer in December. “I think he’d be plumb thrilled with it,” organizer Gary Stevens said of the new events. Stevens was Herriman’s flank man for many years. Herriman
was Stevens’ father-in-law. “We always wore shirts and ties,” Stevens said. “It was kind of our thing.” The Herriman family will provide a bull riding championship coat to the winner. The events replace a rodeo that
OKANOGAN – Horse racing returns to the Okanogan County Fair with an abbreviated lineup on Sunday. The races will start at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, and 11 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 11. The senior pony express races, always a crowd pleaser, will compete only on Saturday following the horse races and youth events, organizer Codi Marchand said. Marchand said she was told earlier that there would not be any races this year. “This was kind of dropped in my lap,” she said. “I was told we were not going to have races. All of a sudden we are.
“I got volunteered to write the races.” The John Cook 4 ½ furlong will be Saturday, too. Since the fair is closing two hours earlier this year than in the past, Sunday racing must be done by 3 p.m., Marchand said. The Sunday races will start at 11 a.m. and not include a senior pony express relay. The one-mile derby will be on Sunday. She said she expects horses from Republic, Spokane, Wellpinit and Omak. “I assume it will be the sameold, same-old people that come all the time,” Marchand said, who has been race secretary for at least a dozen years. “I don’t think things will change much. It will work.”
greeted fair-goers Friday and Saturday nights for many years. “That’s our whole goal, is to keep something going on at the fair,” Stevens said. “We wanted to keep something going in his name.” The National Barrel Horse Association and Barrel Racers National 4D sanctioned barrel races and Dreamcatcher minibulls will be sandwiched between rounds of bull riding. Bulls of Terror Bullriding Association and the Katiches from
Swawilla Basin near Keller will provide the bulls. “Our goal is to put on an event that will let our local contestants compete,” organizer Gary George said. Those wishing to ride a miniature bull can contact Dez Riggs or Lisa Smith at 509-4298229. To enter barrel racing, the contact is Rhonda Colbert at 509476-3503. Those wishing to ride a bull can contact Sorrel Katich at 509-499-3802.
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Okanogan County Fair Preview — Page 13
Decades of baking go into fair entries By Cheryl Schweizer The Chronicle NESPELEM – For 60 years, Donna Mae Rickard always had entries ready for the baking competition when the Okanogan County Fair rolled around. She took home her share of ribbons, enough that she lost count, she said. “I started this all when I first came up here from Oregon” in 1949, she said. “The whole family came up here – Fred (her husband), me, my daughter and my mother.” Fred Rickard had a job as a forester with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The new family in town came to the attention of the county extension agent. “He heard about me or knew about me or something, and he met me and got me interested in forming a 4-H baking group,” she said. Rickard had so much fun at the fair she started baking her own entries. “I had probably upward of 20 exhibits,” she said. She turned out sweet rolls, bread, muffins, cake and different kinds of cookies. Rickard, who now lives at Apple Springs Specialty Care Community in Omak, said she always tried to stay within the guidelines produced for the Weight Watchers program, since each entry consisted four or five cookies, or one loaf of bread. “You had to do something with the rest. And the rest was legal for me to eat,” Rickard said. Looking for recipes that would stand up to the competition was a year-round adventure, and actual fair preparation took about two months, she said. “During the year I was always on the lookout for a new (recipe), perhaps a more enticing one, something the judges would go for,” she said. Baking for the fair required certain characteristics in the finished product. Rickard said she tested for doneness, made sure the recipe delivered the results promised, checked the grain. “You smell it, and taste it, of course.” And she always paid attention to appearance. “That’s what you look for first, before you even taste it, I think,” she said. “Did it rise evenly? Was it evenly browned?”
“ It’s a worthy activity. It gets people out and circulating. It’s a friendly competition and an opportunity to make new friends and I really valued that greatly. Donna Mae Rickard
” Rickard would make double batches and choose the best ones, she said. “In June, I’d start baking. Then I’d freeze,” she said. The family had two freezers, and they were full by fair time, she said. Her goal was to make the entries as healthy as possible as well as good to eat, she said. “I liked to put fruit or even vegetables in them,” she said.
“I think about the fair, because it was such a big part of my life. It was a wonderful experience,” Rickard said. “I met so many wonderful people. Oh, my, they were just great. “It is a worthy activity. It gets people out and circulating. It’s a friendly competition and an opportunity to make new friends, and I really valued that greatly,” Rickard said.
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Fair brings food, plus other vendors Slots are full, and there’s a waiting list By Zachary Van Brunt The Chronicle OKANOGAN – Fair time means fair food, and vendors at this year’s Okanogan County Fair have lined up a smorgasbord of tempting sweets, treats and deepfried eats. Vendor slots are filled and a waiting list ready, fair Superintendent Carl Christensen said. Most are returning vendors, but a few new ones will set up booths this year. Besides food operations, there will also be a few other craft and equipment vendors added to the mix. Food vendors will be in the grassy midway area west of the Agriplex. Commercial vendors, clubs and other organizations will set up shop in the Agriplex, Commercial Building and at the north end of the midway and behind the grandstands. Okanogan County Master Gardeners will set up a booth in the Agriplex this year instead of just in the horticulture barn. Christensen said the group will be selling items. The Davis Shows Carnival will be near the grandstands and south of the horse barns. Okanogan County Public Utility District will have its electrical education display at the north end of the midway. Among the new booths is the PUD Action Committee, which formed to question PUD rate increases and management decisions. The group will set up in the Agriplex with a survey and literature, spokesman Dan Isaac said. Besides the Republican and Democratic parties, the Okanogan County Tea Party have a booth in the Commercial Building. The group will hold a straw vote for president, with all declared candidates included, spokeswoman Marian McClanahan said. The straw vote is for eligible Okanogan County voters only. For those who choose to eat their way through the fairgrounds, food booths should be able to satisfy most folks’ tastebuds. The Okanogan County CattleWomen will again sell beef sandwiches. Since the late 1960s the group – formerly the CowBelles – has set up in its red barn to sell sloppy joes, barbecued beef and cold
roast beef sandwiches, longtime organizer Donna Harkness said. The Okanogan Kiwanis Club will again be next to the Agriplex with grilled corn on the cob. “It’s good,” organizer and Okanogan County Assessor Scott Furman said. “We have Fitzgerald Farms in Malott who grows five acres of corn for us each year.” For next weekend’s fair, the Kiwanis ordered 120 dozen. “It’s one of the things that people come to the fair for,” Furman said. “They say that to us every year.” Since switching to Fitzgerald Farms from suppliers in the Columbia Basin, Furman said the club has had “wonderful, tasty corn each year.” Another longtime vendor is Teriyaki King of North Seattle. Owner Kyong Chun Chi has been bringing teriyaki beef, chicken and
See Food Page 15
Dee Camp/The Chronicle
Folks line up for burgers, hot dogs, curly fries and other items at a food booth at the 2010 fair.
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Food from Page 14 yakisoba to the county for 23 years and counting, he said. C&C Concessions will make its 17th appearance at the fair this year. Owners Chris and Connie Hertel of Kamiah, Idaho, plan on offering curly fries and quarterpound onion burgers this weekend. “And, of course, we’ll have hot dogs and corn dogs,” Chris Hertel said. The couple has provided concessions to many local events over the past two decades, including area rodeos and Omak Art in the Park. Hertel said they were planning to move to the area some time ago, and own land up Limebelt Road
outside of Conconully. New to the fryer this year is a fish-and-chips operation out of Fircrest. Sunshine Tiki Hut, owned by Mark Coy, specializes in the deepfried cod and potatoes, as well as chicken strips, Coy said. “We do corn dogs, hot dogs and chili dogs,” he said. “We also do baked potatoes.” Coy’s business is fairly wellknown through Western Washington, but this is his first year at the Okanogan County Fair, and one of his first ventures into Eastern Washington. Also making its first appearance at the fair is Lenore’s Tamales from Oroville. “We have homemade chicken or pork tamales, and then we have a bean and rice plate on the side,”
Lenore’s husband Mike Egerton, said. “The chicken tamales are made with boneless, skinless chicken breasts, and then in the cooking process are infused tomatilla sauce,” he said. “The pork is made with pork sirloin tip and then infused with Hatch, N.M., chili peppers. “They’re really, really good and the way my wife makes them, they taste the same from start to the end.” The couple also sells jars of salsa, and jams and jellies on the side. “The stuff is made with the absolute best ingredients possible,” he said. — Sheila Corson and Dee Camp contributed to th is story.
“THANK YOU!”
Don’t forget to say “thanks” to those who bought your pig, sheep, rabbit, chicken, steer or just lent a helping had at the fair! Fair thank you ads will be printed Wednesday, Sept. 22 in The Chronicle. Deadline is Thursday, Sept. 16 at 3 p.m. Sheila Corson/The Chronicle
Okanogan County Public Utility District workers scale poles during a demonstration at the 2010 fair. The utility’s booth will be back this year.
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Page 16 — Okanogan County Fair Preview
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