Northwest Washington Fair (Lynden, WA)

The Northwest Washington Fair in Lynden has been going on, near the end of summer, for as long as I can remember. In the days when I worked in broadcasting this was an annual must attend event. I remember that the first time I ever did a live remote broadcast from the fair was back in 1972. Those were the days. The deejay spun the records right there on site and the whole broadcast was heard not only on the radio but by those gathered around because it was all amplified by a loudspeaker system.

The Northwest Washington Fair has had some major grandstand acts over the years from Loretta Lynn to Glen Campbell. The biggest shocker ever was the time Trisha Yearwood was playing the fair in Lynden. Suddenly, during her act, the band started playing "Shameless", a Garth Brooks song. Then, out of the blue, Garth Brooks himself made his way to the stage.

The video above is not from Lynden, but that is the song that he performed that night. This was back in that era when Garth was the biggest name in entertainment, breaking records right and left that were established by Elvis and the Beatles before him. Working in broadcasting, I later got all of the details of Garth first flying into Bellingham in a private jet and then, secretly, making his way to Lynden. It was all very hush-hush. Not sure how many people knew in advance, other than Garth and Trisha.

This year's fair, which I am sure will be another good one, runs from Monday, the  17th, through Saturday the 22nd. Unless you bought tickets in advance, the entry fee is ten bucks. By the way, there is no shortage of all of the traditional animals and other fun attractions and events that you would expect to find at a county fair.

Steven L. Smith

Bellingham WA Home Inspections