Palouse Empire Fair closes big run with big crowds

Heaping doses of calves, corn dogs and a carnival were had by all at the 61st edition of the Palouse Empire Fair last weekend.

While final attendance numbers were not available by press time, Fair Manager Bob Reynolds said Tuesday the fair’s attendance was likely up from last year’s total of 24,000.

“Every booth was jam-packed. The place was just electric,” said Reynolds. “Especially on Saturday.”

He said the fair had already banked 90 percent of its annually projected revenue as of Tuesday. That is well ahead of the typical income level two days after the fair. He added staffers still had more gate receipts to count and other income to collect.

Foul weather Thursday and Friday mornings had little impact on attendance, said Reynolds. Most events on those days take place indoors.

“That pee wee show really brings them in,” Reynolds said of Thursday night’s junior cattle show. “It was standing room only for grandma around the show ring.”

Colton’s Mollie Kramer was named from eight contestants for Miss Palouse Empire Fair Friday night to highlight the royalty competition. Chloe Rambo of Oakesdale and Brooke Webber of Colfax were named fair princesses for next year.

Ashley Reisenauer, Pullman High junior, was named Miss Palouse Empire Rodeo at the Sunday session. Lacey Funke of Genesee was named rodeo princess.

The state fair commissioners’ black and white ribbon was awarded to the Palouse Empire Fair Foundation which this year supported the move of the Dusty BB Club house, the former Jones School, to the fairground.

State Fair Commissioner Bob Carlson, who has retired after managing the Western Washington Fair at Puyallup for over 30 years, presented the ribbon as the official representative of the state fair commission.

Fair manager Reynolds said Carlson actually arrived here Sept. 8 and was very impressed about the final night of preparation before the fair opening. Carlson took many pictures of the school project and Reynolds expects it will be part of a presentation at the state fair association’s meeting this October.

As a fund raising project, the fair foundation is selling memorial blocks which will be put down around the approach to the porch in front of the school house.

At the fair opening Thursday, Edwin Garretson of Uniontown, member of the Whitman County Historical Society, gave a talk on the role rural schools played in the development of the county.

Former County Commissioner Les Wigen spoke about the efforts of acquiring the school house, which was donated by the Repp family.

Members of the Jones and Repp families attended the opening ceremony, as did the Dusty BB Club, which used the school as its clubhouse for decades. Pullman Fire Department’s honor guard presented the colors.

David Littleton of Rosalia won the Ernie Dippel round robin trophy for the fair’s top fitting and showing event which featured fitting and showing winners in the fair’s three market classes.

Littleton was the FFA winner for fitting and showing in the hog barn. Emma Schultheis of Colton, 4H F & S winner for swine, was runner-up in the Dippel event.

Nick Niehenke of Colfax received the Jane Lyman award for top youth volunteer effort in the beef barn.

Those awards were presented before Saturday’s market stock sale which had 325 animals on the sale bill with 123 hogs, 132 sheep and 70 beef.

Market stock champions were Collin Pittmann of Rosalia, 4H hog; Whitnie Whitman of Pullman, FFA hog; Aleix Maki of Colfax 4H sheep; Mackenzie Yates of Colfax, FFA sheep; Caleb Berquist of LaCrosse, 4H beef and Caleb Hannas of Hooper, FFA beef.

Clare Jacobs of Colfax won the Lads & Ladies Lead competition, and Sarah Appel of Colfax won reserve.

Leah Swannack of Lamont won the Clint Luce award for the top 4H livestock judge. Madisyn Woltering of Palouse topped FFA individual judging and the Garfield/Palouse team topped the event.