Fair Kicks Off Amid Worries

DAYTON - Amidst the excitement of announcing the court and program for the Columbia County Fair this weekend was the anxiety country fairs across the state share these days: funding from Olympia.

With horse racing already nixed this year for Dayton Days, fair organizers fear another blow to a local cultural tradition if lawmakers cut $2 million in state subsidies for fairs across Washington and, of this, $31,000, or almost half the budget, for the Columbia County Fair.

"With the loss of the fund, we will be forced to drastically alter the fair," Fair Director Shane Laib said.

But attendees at the fair kickoff Saturday night didn't let that prospect dampen their spirits. With much fanfare, Laib announced this year's court. It's made up of two hostesses, Ashley Myrick and Alex Ward, and, for the first time in decades, two hosts, Micah Yeater and Christopher McHaffie.

The theme for this year's fair, scheduled for Sept. 9-11, is "Sunshine Days & Country Ways." Entertainment will come from the award-winning Prescott cowboy duo Nevada Slim & Cimarron Sue, Piano Man Brady Goss, magician Adam the Great, CountrySide Ride, and Beat Boxer Bronkar Lee's Amazing Circus of Sound.

The Bull Bash will be back, as will Mutton Busting, the Demolition Derby and KidZone entertainment. Education remains one of the fair's cornerstones, with many local competitors preparing months in advance for the livestock judging and horse show.

"At the end of the day, we believe that we are Washington's biggest classroom, and the return that fairs provide to the state is overwhelming," Laib said about what the Washington State Fairs Association calls the statewide summer institution.

Fairs generate about 6,000 seasonal jobs and at least $22 million in sales tax. Nonprofit organizations, including many youth groups, generate more than $7 million, and some do not have other fundraising events during the year. More than half the fairs predict they may not be able to continue if state funding gets cut.

Gov. Christine Gregoire's proposed 2011- 2013 budget cuts the Fair Fund from $4 million to $1 million for the two-year period. The chair of the House Ways and Means Committee reportedly opposes all funding for fairs in the next biennium.

Laib said he has been invited by Association President Val Watson, who attended Saturday's kickoff, to serve on a new task force advocating for continued fair funding, particularly among the 51 legislators who represent urban King County.

Watson and Laib urged attendees to write or contact their legislators and let them know how important the summer gathering is to them.

As the evening's crowning event, Laib introduced the new court.

Myrick, 16, is the daughter of Merle and Teresa Myrick and Michelle Stedman. She is a junior at Dayton High School, where she participates in track and field. In her second year of Barnyard 4-H, with swine as her major project, Myrick hopes to attend college nursing with an emphasis on pediatrics.

Ward is the 14-year-old daughter of Joe and Mary Ann Ward of Dayton. A freshman at DHS, Ward participates in volleyball and softball and serves as the manager of the baseball team. In her sixth year of Barnyard, she wants to at- tend Jamestown College in North Carolina to get a BS in Nursing.

Yeater, 17, is the son of Carl and Elizabeth Yeater of Dayton. A junior being home schooled, he has participated in football and track, plus he is a certified scuba rescue diver and lifeguard, and holds a third-degree brown belt in karate. He has previously participated in the Columbia County Marksman Club and received third place in district trap-shooting competitions.

McHaffie is the 17-yearold son of Bill and Robin McHaffie of Dayton. He is also a junior being home schooled and plays football and baseball at DHS. He wants to attend Spartan School of Aeronautics and Technology in Tulsa to get his Associates Degree, then further pursue training in helicopter aviation and work on Life Flight rescue missions.

McHaffie has participated in the Pins, Pots and Slivers 4-H club with sewing, cooking and wood working, and has taken welding classes at the high school.

Laib also took the opportunity to honor several past fair board members for their volunteer work to support the annual event: Raymond DeRuwe, Don Howard and Roland Schirman.