Attendance is better than fair

The sign next to the dusty arena reads “The toughest sport on wool.” There, 5-year-old Buck is tossed in the air by a galloping cream-colored sheep. Brandon lands half on his head, wobbles to his feet, adjusts his shifted helmet and asks to go again.

Charity, 5, mounts her mutton next, ready to prove why girls have commanded the “Mutton Bustin’ ” World Championships at the Spokane County Interstate Fair all week. She clings to the woolly neck of her mount and is thrown off within seconds.

The packed crowd hoots and hollers while swatting at bees and devouring kettle corn and fried rice on Tuesday afternoon.

The fair’s first-ever “free admission day” brought 46,305 people to the fairgrounds Monday, marking the highest daily attendance in 22 years, said fair director Rich Hartzell.

As of close of business Monday, 114,357 people have attended the fair, up from 86,470 by day four last year. More than 235,000 people attended the fair in 2007.

“If the weather holds, I think we will certainly be up (in attendance) this year,” Hartzell said.

Some people go for classic fair food – elephant ears, fried everything and, of course, funnel cakes.

Jake Davis eats four of the cakes daily during the fair. His grandparents’ 20-year-old Oklahoma Funnel Cakes booth sold around 600 on Monday.

On Tuesday, Senior Day, hundreds of fair patrons cruised the grounds on scooters, while mobility companies offered big sales and promotions.

Rusty Clemons ambled past tractors of emerald green and candy apple red, eyeing the tires, the wheels, the engines, the belts. He’s at the fair with his 1951 Gibson, the tractor he bought in 1958 and has proudly used to work his fields ever since.

“It keeps the weeds down and keeps him out of my hair,” Marie, his wife of 62 years, said with a wink.

The 50-year Spokane Valley residents have visited the fair annually for the past half-century. Marie Clemons goes for the vendor’s booths. Her husband’s focus is more single-minded.

“I just love the tractors,” he said.

“It keeps him off the freeway and out of the tavern,” his wife added before they strolled past the carnival rides.

Spokane natives Tammy and Rick Role used to have “ride days” at the fair.

“Now they just make me sick,” Tammy Role said.

So they came with their three children to see one thing: the sheep.

Nearby, Anastasia Schofield, of Coeur d’Alene, chased her two boar goats around the grassy corral where she had let them loose to exercise. They didn’t want to come in.

An older couple watched the 10-year-old race around, then lunge toward the goats with John Deere-emblazoned leash in hand.

“Can you catch ’em?” she asked the couple.

The woman reached her arm inside the fence and held onto a goat’s neck. As Anastasia fumbled with the leash, the goat – named Sprinkles – dragged the girl down the hill, leaving grass stains all down her jeans.

“I’ve always wanted a horse,” she said.