A story of Volunteers

Farm-related projects were, and continue to be, the emphasis of the Pierce County Fair. The 4-H Fair, as it was called back in the 1940s, had drawn youth members from all over the county. At that time, there were few entrants and very few categories.

For the first three years, the fair was without a permanent home. From Benson Grange, it moved to Woodland School and then to Fruitland Grange. These first fairs lacked barns and facilities for the animals. All judging took place outside on the lawns of these granges and schools.

After three years of wandering, the fair eventually settled at Sumner High School grounds. A 4' x 6' panel of plywood, placed on the ground in front of the old Sumner school grandstand, served as the first stage. This, combined with a microphone in the trunk of the county agent's car, formed the first grandstand show of the fair, still known as the 4-H Fair.

1952 marked the fifth anniversary of the fair and heralded several changes. The fair format was changed to include all youth and was renamed the Pierce County Junior Fair. At this time, the fair was incorporated, thus making itself eligible for annual state appropriations from the pari-mutuel funds. Frank Ballou, of Puyallup, was serving as the fair's first manager when the fair incorporated. Dr. Vitt Ferrucci, of Puyallup, was named the first president of the new board of directors.

Changes happened again in 1953 when the fair ran 3 full days instead of 2½, and the first fair queen was chosen. Carolyn Burk, of Midland, was named to be the first county fair queen. This year the first commercial displays were accepted along with the community service club concessions.

In 1959, the fair board asked the business people of the county to help them financially and offered plaques to be displayed, letting the public know they were supporting the fair. These plaques were sold for many years as one of the main means of support of the fair.

In 1960, Pierce County joined the Department of Agriculture in helping to support the fair. For the first time, several hundred premium checks, totaling $2,500, were mailed to excited exhibitors.

In 1963, the Puyallup Rotarians sponsored a pancake breakfast for all exhibitors and superintendents. This has become an annual tradition still anticipated by participants.

The board of directors, decided by vote, to remove the "junior" from the fair's name, in 1967. From that day forward, the fair has been known as the "Pierce County Fair." The board changed the along name, but did not change the goals and functions of the fair, to continue to serve the youth of Pierce County.

These were also the days of makeshift animal shelters, which later gave way to a series of bolt-together buildings which were erected by Sumner and Puyallup for service clubs, prior to the fair opening. A move to a permanent home, Graham's Frontier Park in 1968 enabled this practice to come to an end. Now, these organizations turned their efforts into creating a permanent fair environment

The first project of the building program was a 40' x 100' home economics display hall. A flurry of building activity occurred from 1968 through 1978, ending with the livestock barn in 1978. About this time, a requirement for a fire safety water line ended all new construction. Before the building program started again, a development plan for the park was drawn up, and all new buildings would be constructed in accordance to the plan. Between 1978 and 1988, other areas appropriate to the running of a quality fair such as fencing of the grounds, upgrading concessions with running water, show rings, wash racks, and a manure dump, were all a part of the continuous activities worked on by the fair and "friends of the fair" volunteers.

Finally, in 1988, another restroom started the building program again. A larger fair office, several new exhibit buildings, and two new horse barns have brought the fair to what it is today.

In 1976, the fair unveiled its present four-day show schedule. The fair continues to grow through the strength of hundreds of volunteers, and a cooperative effort between the Pierce County Fair Association and the Pierce County Parks and Recreation.