ENUMCLAW, Wash. — The King County Fair returns to the Enumclaw Expo Center on Thursday promising four days of rides, food and family fun after it was canceled last year due to the pandemic.
The fair runs through Sunday.
Despite Washington being fully open René Popke, general manager of Enumclaw Expo & Event Center, says they are taking the health and safety of visitors seriously and have precautions in place.
Hand sanitizing stations and permanent handwashing stations have been installed throughout the grounds, and staff will clean touchpoint areas more often.
Popke says the months leading up to the fair have been a challenge. In April, staff was just 90% sure the fair was happening and it wasn't until Gov. Jay Inslee made the announcement to fully open the state in June that fair planning really kicked off.
"It was hard to find seasonal help. A lot of the college students had been home for months with online learning and already had jobs," said Popke, who also said some of their usual vendors didn't make it through COVID.
Popke thanked the community for pulling together to bring in new rides, new attractions and even some new vendors so the fair could return this year.
"It's been a long time," said Popke. "We're excited. The last couple days of load in have been fun. It'll just be exciting to see the lines at the rides, for food and the barns."
Among the new attractions this year are the Monster Truck Rally and BMX Stunt Show.