Family Fun Series begins Friday
A bunch of trucks and even some monsters are coming to the Clark County Fairgrounds this week, a carnival will be setting up soon, and look for cowboys and cowgirls to shine at a rodeo.
No, it’s not the Clark County Fair, but there will be plenty of offerings that will remind folks of the fair.
“We’re excited that three of our partners are able to provide some entertainment this summer,” said Jim Beriault, the PR manager for the Clark County Event Center at the Fairgrounds, adding that all associated with the fair were disappointed that the fair was cancelled this summer.
“The fact that we are able to provide some fun, to have people back on our campus, is exciting for us. We’re looking forward to having lots of people come and enjoy these events.”
Tuff Trucks will be at the fairgrounds Friday and Saturday. For Sunday afternoon, it’s the Monster Trucks.
The carnival, with more than two dozen rides, as well as traditional carnival games, will run from Aug. 6 through 15.
A roughstock rodeo, “Hell on Hooves,” is on the schedule for Aug. 7. That will include the always popular Mutton Bustin’, as well.
All of the events together make up the Family Fun Series, presented by the event center.
(For tickets, go to: www.ClarkCoEventCenter.com. You can also buy tickets as walk-ups. For the Tuff Trucks and Monster Trucks, there are reserved seating and general admission seating.)
With these events scheduled, some are wondering why the fair was cancelled. Beriault said that has been the No. 1 question from fairgoers.
“The challenge in running a fair that hosts 300,000 people … you don’t just start it up on a dime. It’s a year-long process to contract and negotiate and put together all of the entertainment for the fair, to put together the thousands of volunteers,” he said.
In May, organizers had as much as the fair planned as possible but still did not know if it could go forward with the state’s regulations and shut-down protocols. The decision to reopen the state was not expected until June 30, just a month before the start of the fair.
Beriault said it would have been unfair to vendors to make them wait that long for confirmation. The board called off the fair in May.
Since then, of course, Washington has reopened.
Three of the fair’s partners — Butler Amusements, Wild West Events, and Motorsport Production Services — reached out to the fair to inquire about hosting their events.
“Now that the restrictions have been lifted, it’s easy for us to activate in 30 days, to put on a show,” Beriault said.
“Yes, we want to have something for our fair fans. These three companies agreed. They also want to bring something to Clark County,” Beriault added.
Also of interest, animals will be at the fairgrounds, as well, throughout the month of August, with 4H judging and ribbons. However, that is not open to the public, Beriault said.
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