ELLENSBURG, Wash. — The Ellensburg Rodeo and Kittitas County Fair kicks off this Labor Day weekend with plenty of things to celebrate.
The biggest? The 100th anniversary of the rodeo and fairgrounds.
In 1923, The Kittitas County Fair moved the “The Spot Beneath the Hill” in 1885. According to Kady Porterfield, the fair has always been an opportunity for the community to come together and show their support for one another.
Porterfield, Kittitas County Fair Manager, tells me the rodeo brings people from across the valley year after year.
The event kicks off every Thursday before Labor Day and ends on Labor Day. This year’s theme, Grab Your Boots and Get Back to Your Roots.
Youth involved in 4-H, FFS and Grange are one of the biggest parts of the county fair. They partake in a wide variety of programs offered, becoming a backbone to the agriculture the fair was built on.
Aside from the several barns with livestock, 4-H, FFA and much more, the Fair is home to the historical Frontier Village.
The village takes you back in time. It’s the perfect opportunity for people to experience what it was like as an original settler across the Kittitas Valley.
With plenty of activities like blacksmithing, buying a pickle or soda, the village is made up of historic buildings that have been donated over the years by families within the valley. For example, the schoolhouse in the village was donated by Freta Olds and was once operational in the schools of Manastash County during the early 1900s.
It wasn’t until the early 1980s the concept of the villages came to fruition by board members. Board members who are also volunteers, locals and fairgoers. The goal? To make the Kittitas County Fair as authentic as possible.
As for more of the fun, the Market Sale takes place on September 1, at 11:00 a.m. as an opportunity to support the youth.
That’s not all the fair has to offer, there’s still so much more to do. From bale bucking contests, coloring contests and a kid’s joke contest.
The fairgrounds are open from 10:00 am-11:00 pm Friday-Saturday.
Sunday 10:00 am-10:00pm
Monday 10:00 am-6:00pm
For more ticketing information, Kittitas County Fair.
You can still get your tickets to the fair by visiting the fair website or buying them at the door.
