Palouse fair 'Back in the Saddle'

Garth Meyer, The Gazette | Mar 18, 20210

COLFAX — “Back in the Saddle” is the theme for the Palouse Empire Fair 2021 and plans on moving forward one stirrup at a time.

Scheduled to run from Sept. 9-12, the fair board began preparations while slowing down the process until things become clearer about what will be allowed regarding crowds come September.

Fair Manager Janel Goebel reports the fair office held off as many normal expenditures as possible until April 1, as well as reservations for camp spots during the fair.

The waiting is to give organizers a better idea of the impact of COVID vaccine distribution, in order to reduce having to issue a slew of refunds like last year after the 2020 fair was canceled.

“We’re real hopeful,” she said. “Our plan is for a normal fair, and as we get closer we’ll start to adapt to what guidelines are in place.”