You'll find lots of things besides treats and trinkets at the Skagit County Fair vendor booths. You'll also find folks like Carmen Hargis-Villanueva, who along with her fellow volunteer attorneys with Northwest Justice Project provide critical legal services to some of the most vulnerable members of our community. Don Wick and I talk with Carmen about what she does and why it matters...and how it happened that her previous address was in Guam. 

During her half century relationship with the Skagit County Fair, Bonita Elfstrom has been at the forefront of the 4-H dog programs. In this interview, she recalls the history of those programs and what it takes to support them. She also remembers the year that Lassie came to the Fair!

My goal at every Fair is to add at least one new thing to my list of "firsts." Last year it was mangonada (don't even get me started on how amazing that beverage is). This year I succeeded in achieving two "firsts." The first "first" was eating elote, a Mexican style of corn on the cob that may very well become a new FFS (Fair Food Staple).

The second of my two "firsts" was meeting a genuine book wizard, Angelica Callis. It was an encounter filled with eastern pavilions, magical tales, and a divinely inspired mission.

Swinomish tribal leader Brian Cladoosby was at the Skagit County Fair with his wife and grandson when he stopped by to visit with Don Wick and me. Long time residents of the Magic Skagit will recognize Brian not only for his contributions to the Swinomish community, but for his overall leadership among tribal groups throughout the United States. Rather than reaching for the top, however, Brian has striven mightily for the bottom. "That's the position on the totem pole that supports everyone else, with the elders and children at the top."

In this interview, Brian acknowledges the Fair's contribution to our identity as Skagitonians, and the contributions of the Skagit River to so much of what makes the Magic Skagit magic.  

Brad Raspet got into bee keeping after he retired from Renton Fire & Emergency Services, and his life has been sweeter for it. For years now, Brad has been coming to the Fair to share his love of bees, and to increase our appreciation for how critical they are to our well being. 

Over the years that I've been attending local fairs, a performer that I've admired from the get go has been Chris Eric Parker -- better known to fans of rock 'n roll as "Sunday Speedtrap." Not only is he a super rhythm guitar player, but his vocals on what could be called The Great American Songbook of Rock (his repertoire numbers in the hundreds of top 40 staples) always convey the sense of urgency and freshness that make a four piece band superfluous. With Sunday Speedtrap, all you need is four chords and the truth. Chris Parker knows a lot more than just four chords -- and he always plays like it's Vegas. 

Back when Dee Shimkus was a 4-H leader of the Skyline Skippers of Anacortes, her club baked scones in the Fairground's kitchen that induced the First Lady of Country Music to bestow a kiss upon Dee's oldest boy. You're going to love this story. I sure did.

Kathy Silk has lived in the Magic Skagit, a moniker she recalls as a "child of the '60s," since 1958. In this interview she remembers not just the Skagit County Fair, but the distinct communities that rubbed shoulders every summer out at the fairgrounds. She also credits the Fair with checking a box on her "bucket list": winning a ribbon for art. By the time you finish listening to Kathy's memories, the fact that she did so will come as no surprise. 

Yesterday we posted an interview with an 11-year old 4-H kid named Laney, who showed up at the Meyer Sign "All in Love is Fair" booth with her good buddy, Kendrick. Each of them wanted a Tales of the Magic Skagit t-shirt (who wouldn't, right?), and each of them was willing to share their fair memory to win one. Keep in mind, these are kids who know a thing or two about winning. In this interview, Kendrick tells us how his horse journey began.