Families, fairgoers of all ages, fireworks fans, and foodies alike, are celebrating some very good news today. The Central Washington State Fair, events such as the 4th of July fireworks & festivities, and a return of a drive-in food festival, all have an official go-ahead to help this community to get back to normal.

As plans for the state to re-open officially as of June 30th, some of the activities which have been curtailed if not canceled altogether during the pandemic have a greenlight from Governor Inslee and plans have begun to get several balls rolling.

First - The Good News

Central Washington State Fair President and CEO, Kathy Kramer, says it’s been somewhat of a whirlwind day:

“It’s been a whirlwind day because, prior to this morning, we weren’t even sure in what capacity we were going to be able to move forward with any of our events [such as] the Fourth of July and most importantly our Central Washington State Fair”.

Kramer said a meeting took place today with a representative from Governor Inslee’s Cabinet with the fair industry stakeholders during which some really good news was delivered:

“That all of us, effective July 1, are able to re-open, without any capacity restrictions, people can co-mingle ……. and basically, no COVID restrictions in place.”

This is good news according to Kramer, as it gives the CWSF the opportunity to begin work on how best to prepare to deliver a memorable Fair to the community. The 2021 Central Washington State Fair will run from September 24 through October 3rd. Don’t look now, but that’s just on the other side of summer, and you can bet there will be rolled-up sleeves and a lot of work to be done between now and then for Kramer and her team.

And, Some More Good News

The fair isn’t the only event now on the calendar, in fact, there’s a return of a drive-thru food event planned for next month. According to Kathy Kramer, the event will be similar to last fall’s food fest.

“Back by popular demand, the Spring Fair Food Fest, and we’re excited to have a presenting partner, HAPO Community Credit Union, the event will run June 10th through June 13th. All the vendors and vendor menu items will be listed at fairfun.com”.

Hey, This Good News Thing is Fun. Let's Have Some More!

There was more good news to share, as Kramer told me that once again the 4th of July Fireworks will light up the Yakima skies, thanks to city and county officials:

“The City of Yakima and Yakima County Commissioners stepped up to fund the 2021 Fireworks display. We’ve been without event revenue for over a year and certainly didn’t have the funds to produce this event this year.”

That involvement by City and County leaders certainly demonstrates their commitment to helping us all get back to a sense of normalcy, and give the community a fireworks celebration to kick off summer and start getting back to the business of living.

Kramer also noted that plans are getting firmed up regarding a carnival and food vendors who will also be a part of the July celebration. Those details will be forthcoming and we’ll share them here on the station website and app as soon as they’re available.

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Our thanks to Kathy Kramer, President & CEO of the Central Washington State Fair, for taking the time to talk with us today on what was a very busy, albeit exciting day for her and her team. You may recall, last year’s fair had to be canceled due to COVID and it was to have been her first one since taking the reigns from longtime President Greg Stewart. So, she’s more than ready to roll and make 2021 one of the most memorable years (in a good way) ever.

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