FUN AT THE FAIR

People go to Sanders County Fair to see farm animals, rodeo cowboys, derby smashing, and to get a thrill on carnie rides. But they also go to indulge themselves on fair food.

"Ya, people come for the food, that's why there's a thing called a fair burger," said Sanders County Commissioner Glen Magera. The cuisine aroma could be detected throughout the grounds all week. "I think food is a big draw. I'm here to get my favorite, but this year I'm stepping out to try some new things," said Roberta Smith, a member of the fair board. For the past 17 years, she's also been a judge in the pie baking contest, this year along with Wade Rehbein, Heidi Kirkwood, both board members, and Mary Spealman, a friend of Smith. Of the 10 pie entries, Plains resident Sally Lilja won with her peach pie.

The 2018 fair had 18 food and drink vendors, including the Main Link, the oldest food vendor. T.S. Laurens said he and his partner, Tim Hintze of Kalispell have had a booth since 1993. The fair had three new food vendors this year. "We're doing really well," said Plains resident Nichol Scribner, owner and operator of Mama's Waffle Shack. Scribner had seven varieties of waffles on the menu, but the Wilbur, a combo waffle, egg, bacon, ham, and cheese, was the most popular, said Scribner. One man told her there's nothing better to prevent a hangover than waffles.

Clancy and Patrice Munson of Thompson Falls have had a glow item and toy booth for almost 20 years, but this year, they added Clancy's Hot Dog Cart and in the morning, they served breakfast biscuits. The Thompson Falls Grange, a member of the Sanders County Concessions Group, for the first time served breakfast on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Heather Chavez was successful in her first year at the fair with Beagle's Bakery and Espresso, offering 19 coffee, natural energy drinks and fruit smoothies. She's had a business in Thompson Falls for a year and a half, but this was her first venture with the fair.

The fair had 60 commercial vendors, including two new locals – Big Sky Direct of Plains and Ebbenknight Arts of Paradise. Airbrush artist Steve Eberhardt donated 25 percent of his booth space to the Sanders County Arts Council to promote the nonprofit organization.

The fair once again drew near record spectator numbers for the rodeos. Five hundred and three people attended Thursday night's bull riding competition. During a break, 14 kids participated in the mutton-busting contest. Easton Deal of Thompson Falls won with 89 points, followed by Colt Browning of Plains with 81 points and Reece Cummings with 77 points.

"There seems to be a bigger crowd this year and the weather is a lot better than last year," said Jenny Garrison, fair board chairperson. Roberta Smith was pleased with the absence of smoke, prevalent last year thanks to the Sheep Gap Fire.

This was the first year for Paradise Amusements. The Post Falls, Idaho, carnival had 18 rides, including five children's rides, along with a dozen games and two food booths, said Monica Dowis, unit manager. "We pride ourselves of having a clean and presentable carnival, and the owner's a clean freak," said Dowis.

Paradise Amusements had many of the same types of rides that Davis Amusement Cascadia did for some 20 years, but Paradise Amusements also featured bumper cars, something the county fair hadn't seen in numerous years. They also had the "Ejection Bungee," which shot people 55 feet into the air.

This year 173 people had 1,739 entries in the open class competition – 432 in the arts and crafts and photography division, 439 culinary arts entries, 104 home sewing and needlework, 50 livestock, 28 in the poultry and rabbit division, 374 horticulture, and 300 floriculture entries, said Tyler Riffle, who compiled a new online software program. The program included an electronic notebook for each supervisor to log entries and to record winners. It took the 20-year-old Riffle three months to develop the program. "This really speeds up the process quite a bit for the judging and the entries," said Riffle, who has helped his grandmother, Karen Dykstra, the floriculture superintendent, with the entries for the last four years. It took Jim Sadler some four hours to judge the flower entries.

Sherry Hagerman-Benton, the horticulture superintendent, won 36 blue ribbons with her flower entries. Hagerman-Benton's judge, Neil Carmen of Thompson Falls, took four and a half hours to go through the horticulture entries. Hagerman-Benton was pleased to have four entries in the scarecrow contest from Jim Hanson, Allissa Pennock and her sisters Kayla and Aubrie. The people's choice winner was Hanson, who has won several times.

The fair also saw the return of Bobby Mayes of Paradise, who set up antique farm engines and showed nearly 70 antique tools, the oldest a fence stretcher dating to 1895. One of the biggest draws for the 80-year-old Mayes was his 1930s stationary hay bailer, which he converted to an aluminum pop can crusher.