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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Despite cloudy skies fairgoers take in small-town fun at Southeast Spokane County Fair in Rockford

From left, brothers Luke Olson and Isaac Olson, of the Olson Bros Band, perform on stage during the Southeast Spokane County Fair. (Nina Culver / The Spokesman-Review)
By Nina Culver For The Spokesman-Review

People turned out for the Southeast Spokane County Fair in Rockford on Sunday despite clouds and a sometimes chilly wind, spending the day checking out the exhibits, vendors, rides and music.

Liberty Lake resident Keira Gosling saw information about the fair on Facebook and visited with her son and two young children. “This is the first time I’ve ever been here,” she said. “It’s pretty great, actually.”

Gosling said she has attended the Spokane County Interstate Fair every year but sees the fair in Rockford as going back to a time when fairs were smaller. “It’s a lot better than the Spokane fair,” she said. “It’s very quaint.”

Vendors were selling everything from purses to fudge to children’s books. There was face painting and other activities for children Sunday in addition to the annual Harvest Hoops three-on-three basketball tournament and equine gaming.

Helicopter rides were available for $40 per person and business appeared to be booming based on the frequent buzzing of the helicopter over the fairgrounds. The chilly weather also didn’t stop people from lining up in front of the Bavarian waffle cone vendor for an ice cream treat.

Paul and Caroline Miller came from Spokane Valley to visit the fair, but it wasn’t their first time. Caroline Miller said she was in 4-H as a child and enjoys the small-town feel. “We’re both small town people,” she said. “I just like the closeness of it, and everybody participates. I just like the family atmosphere.”

They browsed the fine arts exhibit before the scheduled start of a concert by the Olson Bros, an Olympia-based duo that is rising in popularity. Miller said she’d never heard them before but was looking forward to the performance. “They just looked interesting,” she said.

The Olson Bros concert was sponsored by the Coeur d’Alene Casino, said Rockford city Councilwoman Micki Harnois. She said she listened to the group on YouTube and was impressed by their music. The brothers usually perform as part of the Olson Bros Band, but the band didn’t make the trip to Rockford.

“We couldn’t afford the band,” Harnois said. “Hopefully next year we can afford the band.”

The Olson Bros won a national songwriting contest in 2013 for the song “Sunrise” and have performed with Sammy Kershaw and Kenny Chesney. They’ve previously performed at the Spokane County Fair and Pig Out in the Park.

Angie Robins was so enthusiastic about hearing the Olson Bros that she brought her camp chair and staked out a good spot two hours before the afternoon concert started even though she’d never heard them perform before.

“I went and looked them up and listened to them,” she said. “I liked what I heard. I like up and coming artists.”

She is a fan of country music and said Randy Travis is her favorite singer. She said she liked that the Olson Bros music is different from many of the newer country bands. “They tell a story,” she said. “It’s not just noise.”

Robins said she grew up in nearby Mica and has been to the Southeast Spokane County Fair many times. She likes that it’s family friendly and doesn’t charge admission. “It’s way more cost effective when you have three kids,” she said. “This is my hometown fair. I get to see old friends.”

Robins didn’t appear to be disappointed by the Olson Bros performance, getting up mid-concert to buy a CD off a table set up next to the stage.

Luke and Isaac Olson performed a mix of original songs and covers of popular country songs like “Sweet Home Alabama” and “I Like It I Love It” by Tim McGraw. They also threw in “Highway to Hell” and “Sweet Child O’ Mine” for a little variety.

Some of the original songs they performed were new, some so new that the ink is barely dry on the lyrics. One of the newer songs, called “60 Cent Pocket Man,” was inspired when Luke Olson and two other songwriters dug into their pockets and pooled their cash, which came to only 60 cents.