PORT ANGELES — The Clallam County Fair will host a beer garden tonight and Saturday night, the first time alcohol sales will be allowed at the fair since it began in 1895, according to the Fair Advisory Board.
Juan de Fuca Foundation for the Arts was awarded the concession contract to operate a Rhythm & Brews Beer Garden today from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday from 4 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. It has experience hosting beer gardens at other local events like its Concerts on Pier series.
Patrons will be able to watch the rodeo from the beer garden, which is located just east of the grandstand.
“Our beer garden funds go to our education programs and we are able to fund a lot of things like free access to tickets,” said Kyle LeMaire, executive director of Juan de Fuca Foundation for the Arts.
“We have never partnered with the fair in the past, to my knowledge, and it’s such an important part of our community,” he added.
Among the beverages available will be Coors Light, Rainier, Twisted Tea, White Claw and Bodhizafa, LeMaire said. The 16-ounce cans will sell for $5 to $8.
All purchases must be consumed in the beer garden; alcohol is prohibited in any other area of the fairgrounds.
Entrance is restricted to those 21 and older (minors accompanied by parents or other adults will not be permitted to enter). Age identification must be shown at entry and again when purchasing alcohol. No outside alcohol will be allowed in the beer garden. Alcohol won’t be sold to intoxicated individuals.
The county commissioners at their May 30 meeting approved the Clallam County Parks, Fair & Facilities Department’s request to enter into an agreement with a vendor to operate a beer garden at the fair. Under state law, the county had to contract with a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a special occasion license to run a concession serving alcohol.
Under the special occasion license, nonprofits like the Juan de Fuca Foundation for the Arts are required to keep all proceeds from alcohol sales. Under its contract, however, Juan de Fuca Foundation for the Arts will pay the county a vendor fee.
Carol Johnson, a member of the Fair Advisory Board, said the board had been considering the possibility of having a beer garden at the fair for a couple of years. It was hoped that any funds it did realize would be directed toward upgrading the rodeo chutes, pens and gates.
“This is just a try-out to see how it goes,” Johnson said.
For more on livestock judging and entertainment at the fair, see https://www.clallamcountywa.gov/399/Fairgrounds.
________
Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached at paula.hunt@soundpublishing.com.
