Wampum auction nets over $13,000 for fair

The annual Wheat Land Communities’ Fair Wampum auction matched the record amount raised with nearly $13,000 being earned from auction proceeds alone on Saturday night, WLCF treasurer Aaron Esser said.

With a packed house and an estimated 130 people in attendance, the community showed up to raise money to support the annual fair.

With the fair losing the horse barn only five days prior to the event, the fire that destroyed the building was a prominent discussion among those in attendance. President Fritz Coon said amidst the devastation of the fire, the building was insured and the fair will receive over $87,500 in insurance money to reconstruct a building. Insurance also covers the cost of clean up at the site, as well as pays for the replacement of foliage destroyed by the fire.

The building stood as a point of pride for the fair, Coon said, and many people who attended the Wampum on Saturday had played a large role in its construction in 1988. The fair board is currently establishing a committee to assist with the rebuilding efforts and developing a plan of when to begin building a new barn. Coon added the ultimate hope is to have a new barn in place by the time the 2014 fair begins in August.

Among the additional projects occurring at the fairgrounds is the eventual installment of new sidewalks, which would provide wheelchair access to every building on the grounds. The improvements are being completed with a $15,000 grant from the Washington Department of Agriculture. The fair has to provide funds of $10,000 to receive the grant and the project must be completed by 2015.

The Wampum event supplied attendees with a catered meal provided by Cathy Jo’s Catering and entertainment provided by auctioneer Warren Kragt, as well as many youngsters in attendance.

During the crowning of the royalty, it was announced by Janet Manke that this year there is not a queen and princess, but both girls serve the same designation as WLCF royalty because the interview committee believed the two candidates complemented each other well. The two girls crowned, Holly Nygren and Raeann Hoeft, will serve as the royalty representatives for the fair for the next year.

The highest selling item of the night, donated by Bar U Ranch, was two ton of horse hay, which sold for $950. The second highest item was eight hours of labor at a house selling for $575 and donated by Dwight Olson DBA Modern Builders.

The funds raised at the Wampum event directly support the WLCF, which runs from Aug. 27-31.