PORT ANGELES — The barns at the Clallam County Fairgrounds were at the center of a buzz of activity Tuesday as carnival workers, vendors and exhibitors prepared for the four-day fair that will begin Thursday.
The animals, and their youthful handlers, will arrive today, when cattle and pigs are weighed in beginning at 4 p.m., introducing the stars of the 2012 Clallam County Fair, which has the theme, “Kiss a Pig, Dance a Jig.”
Gates at the fairgrounds — which are at 1608 W. 16th St. in Port Angeles — will open at 8:30 a.m. each day through Sunday. They will close at 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and at 7 p.m. Sunday.
Exhibit buildings will open at 10 a.m. each day and close at 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and at 7 p.m. Sunday.
Admission for adults is $8 — or $24 for a four-day pass — while senior citizens 62 years and older and students ages 13-17 years pay $6 for one day and $13 for a four-day pass, and the cost for children ages 5-12 is $5 daily and $12 for a four-day pass.
A half-dozen volunteers from Sequim Arts hung paintings and placed sculptures in the Arts Building on Tuesday afternoon, placing ribbons on art show winners, and special awards on youth art submissions from local summer programs.
“The juniors are why we have a fair. The rest is incidental,” said Leroy Beers, a volunteer with Sequim Arts.
This year the art show has 303 submissions this year, including junior art entries.
“It’s looking good,” said Beth Taylor, fine arts co-superintendent.
Today is the final day to buy pre-sale tickets for the carnival for $25 — good for one day of unlimited carnival rides.
Tickets are available in Port Angeles at Wilder Auto Center, 97 Deer Park Road, Higher Grounds, 802 C St. or 510 N. Oakridge Dr., and at Swain’s General Store, 602 E. First St.; in Sequim at Pacific Mist Books, 121 W. Washington St.; and in Forks at Forks Outfitters, 950 S. Forks Ave.
Carnival rides will run from noon to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and from noon to 7 p.m. Sunday.
One of the more popular events for children, the pedal-powered Tractor Pull, will be at 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and at 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Sunday at the Kidz Zone.
Fair royalty will be crowned at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Wilder Stage, when the public will meet the new queen, either Jena Chamberlin, a 17-year-old Lincoln High School junior, or Nichole Napiontek, a 16-year-old Port Angeles High School sophomore.
Madison Murphy, a 10-year-old fifth-grader at Greywolf Elementary School in Sequim, is the junior royalty member.
Friday’s events offer music at the Wilder Stage, with a lineup that includes Luck of the Draw, Old Sidekicks, Desperado and Serendipity.
On Saturday, there will be two major events at the grandstands — the Logging Show at noon and the Clallam County Rodeo at 5 p.m.
The Port Angeles Light Opera Association will perform “South Pacific” on Wilder Stage at noon Sunday.
A talent show will begin at 2 p.m. on the same stage.
The Demolition Derby will begin at 5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets cost $11 and are available at the yellow gate beginning at 9 a.m. Sunday.
A full schedule of events is available at www.clallam.net/fair.
Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
