Northwest Washington Fair returns

By Katelyn Doggett

The Northwest Washington Fair returns to Lynden August 17–22 with food and fun for the entire family.

Take a stroll around the fairgrounds to view the variety of exhibits and animals, ride the Ferris wheel at the carnival, enjoy classic fair food such as a corn dog or funnel cake and watch a show at the Charter College Festival Stage, where free performances are offered daily.

This year’s acts include the one-man band Eric Haines, hypnotist Tammy Harris Barton, musical duo Travl *N Opry and magic by Trevor and Lorena. Community performances are also held daily at the stage at 11 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. Community performances include a variety of local music and dance acts.

Walk-around acts can be viewed throughout the fairgrounds. Walk-around entertainment for this year is the square dance club Rainbow Squares, celebrating their 31st year at the fair, and juggler Chase Barton.

Other exhibits include the Small Animal Experience, which has young, small and miniature animals for viewing; the Dairy Maternity Ward, where visitors might see a newborn calf; the Camel Safari, where fair-goers can view and ride camels, and the educational exhibit Predators of the Heart, featuring up-close, hands-on information about nature’s animals.

Community members can enter art, photography, baking, canning, animals and more in competitions. Many categories are still open for entries.

New to the fair this year is DockDogs, a dog-jumping competition offering three events open to any dog, no training needed. The events are Big Air Wave, where dogs will race down a 40-foot dock and leap into a pool of water; Extreme Vertical, which is a high jump competition; and Speed Retrieve, where dogs will reach a toy at the far end of the pool as quickly as possible. Competition registration is still open for all dogs.

Grandstand events this year include a demolition derby on August 17, the Lynden PRCA Rodeo August 18–19 and motocross racing on August 22. Christian rock act Skillet will perform August 20 with special guest Colton Dixon, and country music artist Terri Clark will perform on August 21.

The fairground is located at the Northwest Washington Fairgrounds at 1775 Front Street in Lynden. The fair opens at 9 a.m., vendor booths open at 10 a.m., and the carnival is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, $7 for youth age 6–12 and free for children age 5 and younger.

For more information visit nwwafair.com.