ELLENSBURG, Wash.- The nearly 140-year-old Labor Day weekend tradition is quickly approaching. The Kittitas County Fair and Rodeo returns to the fairgrounds August 29 through September 2, but the festivities are already beginning in Ellensburg.
The Ellensburg Noon Rotary club hosted a pancake breakfast August 17, kicking off the fair season. Families enjoyed the food next to the farmers market, with bounce houses, live music and fun all around.
“A lot of people just come down and we meet new friends or people we haven’t seen for a while,” says Diana Tasker, the Chair for the Rotary Club. “It’s just a community event and it’s been going on forever, so we don’t want this tradition to go away.”
The traditions carried over to the fairgrounds, where young equestrians got to show off their skills at the Horse Fair.
With school set to start just after Labor Day and the fair, it’s one of their last chances to ride their horses this summer.
“We keep our horses stalls sometimes over Labor Day weekend at the fair,” says Austin Wickerath, a senior division rider at the horse fair. “We might not do as many classes or anything like that, but that would take a lot of time out of the fair.”
The Ellensburg community is planning out their Labor Day weekend for the fair, oftentimes finding ways to help with their yearly tradition.
“My mom used to say it’s my Christmas, so it’s my favorite weekend,” says Mogan Farrell on the Ellensburg Rodeo Posse. “I’ve always said, I’m going to do grand entry, I’m going to be involved or I’m going to sponsor a bubble or I’m going to do something so that I can be more involved.”
