Evergreen State Fair
| Evergreen State Fair | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | State fair |
| Date(s) | Late August – Early September |
| Frequency | Annually |
| Location(s) | Monroe, Washington |
| Website | |
| http://www.evergreenfair.org/ | |
The Evergreen State Fairgrounds hosts the annual 12-day Evergreen State Fair every August through Labor Day. The Fair is the largest county fair in the Pacific Northwest and the largest single attraction held annually in Snohomish County. Situated in Monroe, 35 miles northeast of Seattle and 12 miles east of Everett, the fairgrounds comprise 193 acres with buildings and land valued at more than $50 million. The facilities are available for rent during the year, making the grounds a valuable community resource. A staff of 21 works year-round and over 400 fair-time employees are hired each August.
The Evergreen State Fairgrounds features permanent facilities that are used year-round for Northwest horse shows, trade shows, swap meets, auto races and more. The fairgrounds includes the Gary Weikel Events Center (a 4,000 square foot multi-purpose building); the Evergreen Speedway with its paved oval track, is the only NASCAR venue in Washington and has a 7,000-seat covered grandstand; a clear-span sports arena that can seat 4,000, two RV areas with dump stations, and a variety of other permanent exhibition facilities.
History
The first agriculture display in Snohomish County was held in 1874 when Monroe pioneer Salem Woods was vice-president of the Snohomish Agricultural Society, which makes the Fair one of the oldest in the State. By the mid-1890s the Snohomish County Fair was held in Snohomish at Tenth and Avenue D on an eight-acre site. Monroe District Fair was held September 4–5, 1903, at the IOOF Hall and Grounds on North Lewis Street in Monroe where the Monroe Eagles Club is today. There were exhibitions of livestock, farm and dairy produce, ladies' useful and fancy work, and arts and sciences. There was also horse racing, baseball and other sports, and on Saturday night, a Grand Ball was held with a fair queen and six maids of honor presiding.
In 1916, the fair moved to the Granite Falls city park on Union Street and continued to be held there until the Depression. Local fairs sponsored by the various granges continued to be held in the county throughout the Depression and World War II.
In 1946, the Snohomish County Fair resumed on grounds just northwest of Monroe. In September 1949, the Snohomish County Fair became the Evergreen State Fair. During its run that year, the new state highway link between Monroe and Snohomish (now US 2) opened.
Since 1949, The Evergreen State Fair and Fairgrounds have grown tremendously. The Fair now runs for twelve days ending on Labor Day and attracts over 330,000 true visitors from all over the state and the Northwest region. The fairgrounds is active year-round with many off-season shows and activities. Visitors are invited to see a horse show in the Equestrian Park, along with motorcycle races and events in the new Gary Weikel Events Center building.
Coordinates: 47°51′59″N 121°59′20″W / 47.86639°N 121.98889°W
