Fair animal entries lag as entry deadline nears

With a little more than a month before the Palouse Empire Fair, animal entries are trending far below past years.

“We’re way behind where we usually are at this point,” said Fair Manager Bob Reynolds.

As of Monday, fair officials had received 56 beef entries, 28 sheep entries, 61 swine entries and a handful of entries for smaller animals like goats, rabbits and poultry.

Last year’s animal registration numbers had 150 steers, 227 sheep and 167 pigs entered.

Entry deadline is August 1.

Terry Jeffries, the fair’s program coordinator, said entries typically boom at the deadline.

Jeffries worried, though, the late harvest season has put the thought of entering show animals in the backs of the minds of parents and young animal raisers.

Registration forms are available in fair books placed throughout the county. Those wishing to show animals can also fill out entry forms on the fair’s new web site: http://www.palouseempirefair.org

Animals entered after Sunday’s deadline will be allowed only at the discretion of barn superintendents.

Those with further questions can call the fair office in Colfax.

Also discussed at Monday night’s meeting of the fair’s board of directors was new coating for the Patience Palouse cow statue next the fair entrance.

Janet Schmidt and Debbie Niehenke said large pieces of paint have been falling off the statue. Layers upon layers of paint cover the cow which has been grazing year-round at the fairground for more than 40 years. Patience was repainted by Tekoa FFAers last summer.

Fair Director Dave Hopkins suggested coating Patience with the same rubber material used to line the beds of pickup trucks. Hopkins said that material can be colored pink, if needed.

He said he would look into the cost and feasibility of the bed liner material.

The 2010 edition of the Palouse Empire Fair will not have a grand marshall. Fair directors this year opted to forego naming a marshall to focus attention on the new addition to the fairground, the Jones School building from Dusty, according to Jeffries.

The fair normally honors a former board member, superintendent or other volunteer who worked to develop the fair. Last year’s marshals were Gayle and Nancy Startin of LaCrosse.