Featuring traditional favorites and brand-new offerings, the Clark County Fair opened in Ridgefield Aug. 7, with Fred Meyer's free pancake breakfast kicking-off the festivities.
So far, attendance at the 10-day fair seemed to be recession proof, with thousands of people coming to listen to live music, eat good food and marvel at two species of sharks at the "Jaws, Paws and Claws" exhibit.
Free with fair admission ($9 for adults, $5 for youngsters 7-12, free for kids 6 and younger), the Shark Encounter show features Loretta, a 180-pound nurse shark that swims in the exhibit's 5,000-gallon saltwater tank. Loretta joins another nurse shark, Moe, along with two other unnamed lemon sharks – all caught and transported from the warm waters off the Florida Keys.
This year's fair isn't all fun and games, however. Clark County is using the fair's River Ramble activity center to review policies for rural land uses outside city limits and urban growth areas. Planned in two phases, the Rural Lands Review seeks to first develop a rural vision, then to examine current policy to make sure it fits with the county's "rural character."
County staff will be available at the River Ramble activity center to answer questions about the project and to accept comments from the public through Aug. 16. An online questionnaire is also available at https://clark.wa.gov/longrangeplan/projects/rural-lands-review.html.
For a full listing of Clark County Fair activities, visit https://clarkcofair.com
