PORT ANGELES — The Clallam County Fair is back.
For the first time since 2019, the fair at 1608 W. 16th St., in Port Angeles will open up for 4H activities, grandstand events, music concerts, a carnival and vendors selling everything from scones to fresh corn to hand-dipped ice-cream for four days beginning this coming Thursday and running through Sunday, Aug. 21 .
“We’re very excited to have the fair back,” said Fair Manager Shari Ioffrida. “We welcome everyone back.”
The Clallam County Fair was a virtual event during COVID restrictions.
The gates will open each day at 8:30 a.m., with buildings opening at 9 a.m.; both will close at 9 p.m. each day but Sunday, when closing time will be 7 p.m.
The carnival will begin at noon each day and close at 9 p.m. every evening expect Sunday, when it will close at 7 p.m.
Discounted carnival tickets can be found online at https://www.clallam.net/Fair/ or at various retail establishments in the county through Wednesday.
Single-day passes are $8 for adults 18 to 61, $6 for seniors 62 and older and youth 13 to 17; and $5 for youth 6 to 12.
Children 5 and under are admitted free. Season passes for all four days are discounted by one day’s fee.
Opening day, Thursday, will be Kids’ Day when children 12 and under will be admitted free.
The fair will be ruled over by Queen Allison Pettit and Queen’s Court Sophia Lawson. The theme this year is Blue Ribbon Dreams in Boots & Jeans.
Grandstand events include a welcoming concert, free to all with paid fair admission, on Friday night.
The headliner will be Darin Jones and The Last Men Standing playing country music. Opening for the band will be the local Black Diamond Junction at 6 p.m.
A draft horse pull is planned Thursday, a logging show on Saturday, a rodeo on Saturday and Sunday and a demolition derby at 5 p.m. Sunday.
Demo Derby tickets will go on sale at 9 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 21 at the yellow gate at the west side parking lot next to the BMX Track. Tickets will be $15 in additional to paid fair admission.
At the Wilder Stage will be tribute bands evoking Santana, The Doors and Aerosmith. Black Diamond Junction and the Stardust Big Band also will perform there.
The Sunny Farms stage will host marimba, improv, belly dancing, a barbershop quartet, Buck Ellard and Joy in Mudville.
Because of the avian flu spread nationally and in the state, 4Hers and FFA youth who want to show their showmanship with chickens or other poultry in judging will use replicas.
The only live poultry will be in the Pacific Northwest Junior Livestock Auction at noon Saturday, and those will be on the fairgrounds only for a day and half, Ioffrida said.
The auction is a terminal event, meaning the birds will be killed afterward, and so they are permitted for the auction, said Melanie Greer, Clallam County 4H coordinator.
A variety of demonstrations and educational activities are planned — home arts, hobbies and crafts. The fair kitchen will serve hot meals, with proceeds going toward improvement of the fairgrounds.
For more information, see https://www.clallam.net/Fair/.
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Executive Editor Leah Leach can be reached at 360-417-3530 or at [email protected].
