The 100th Anniversary celebration of the Pierce County Fair came to a close Monday, July 4th, after five fun-filled days of rides, food, and musical and other entertainment.

The most attended event of the fair, by far, was the Hairball concert last Friday night, with about 1700 people in the crowd. “To us, it was very successful,” Don Jelsing, fair coordinator, said, adding that around 100 volunteers and employees were at the grounds that night, as well.

Other events that were popular included the wagon rides and the free-stage shows. “There’s a lot of small things that I thought were very successful,” Jelsing said. “There wasn’t any part of it that was a failure.”

Gross sales this year in terms of carnival rides were up, as well as the satisfaction level of people towards food choices. Community members told Jelsing this was the best selection of food that the fair has ever had. With free ice cream sponsored by the Lions Club, 100th anniversary cake, a Buffalo burger feed by RHS Students Abroad, a grilled steak supper, plus various food booths and trucks, the options were endless.

In terms of population, this fair saw more traffic than ever partly because of the amount of RHS alumni back in town for the All-School Reunion. “Thank you to the All-School Reunion. It all worked out pretty well this year that so much was going on at the same time,” Jelsing said.

As for the true success of the fair, Jelsing contributes it all to the community. “I have nothing but a big thank you to everyone who came out and supported,” he said. “You can see the interest that people have in the fair. We have a community that wants to back us up on it. We can’t say enough ‘thank you’s to those who work behind the scenes, as well.”

Dates for 2017’s fair are already in the works, with plans being made to make the fair as great as it was this year. “If we’re going to do stuff larger, we need to ask what can we do to provide the same level of entertainment as this year,” Jelsing said. “We’re looking forward to 2017.”