‘We want to be the best little fair possible’: NCW Fair respects tradition while staying up to date

WATERVILLE — The NCW Fair is the sort of fair where people can stroll through the barns of livestock entries and talk to their owners, take a leisurely look at the quilts and photographs in the arts and crafts building, check out the entries in the horticulture, food preservation and baking categories, and stop for a bite of fair food, maybe even one of the cinnamon rolls from the Douglas County Wheat Wives competition. 

(Oh man, those cinnamon rolls. They’re not only a tradition, for some people they’re one of the main attractions.) 

A small town fair, and that, said Carolyn Morley, the NCW Fair director, is fine with both the people who put it on and who attend it.  

“Our fair is a small fair, and the last seven years we’ve kind of leaned in on that,” Morley said. “It’s like that hometown county fair feeling. It just brings you back to your roots.” 

She attended the fair in her childhood, she said, and after she grew up, she realized something about her generation, people who are in their 30s and who have children of their own. They too remembered the fair they went to when they were kids, and they wanted something similar for their own children. 

“We want a hands-on experience,” she said. “A county fair vibe in a way that feels genuine.” 

A fun fair experience is not just for the kids, however. It’s been a tradition – not all the way back to its founding in 1889 but at least since the 1980s – to feature a weekend concert with well-known artists. Eventually fair organizers added a second concert. 

The concerts have covered a wide range of genres over the years. The featured artists for 2026 are Niko Moon on Aug. 27 and Walker Hayes on Aug. 28. Parents can spend the day at the fair with the kids, find childcare for the evening and come back for the concerts, Morley said.  

Fair weekend is not just interesting animals, the carnival and the exhibits. Like many fairs, it includes a rodeo, the Big Bend Roundup, and horse racing on Saturday and Sunday. What’s called the Indian Relay is part of the racing card; teams trade off riders during the race.  

“That’s really special to us,” Morley said.  

The Big Bend Roundup features cowboys and cowgirls from the PRCA Pro Rodeo circuit.  

Emphasizing a classic fair experience doesn’t mean the NCW Fair isn’t up to date. Over the last few years, most of the exhibit buildings have been rebuilt or refurbished, with the goat and sheep barn being the latest. The food court too has been rebuilt and the midway has been updated. Fair staff have made videos to emphasize the upgrades and what the fair has to offer.  

“We really want people to see our story,” she said.  

A beer garden is a longtime staple. For 2026 organizers have added an afterparty following the Niko Moon concert, with live music from Bandits of the Animal Kingdom.  

“We want to be the best little fair possible,” Morley said.  

It’s paid off. Fair attendance was more than 25,000 people in 2025, compared to about 7,000 in 2018, Morley said. True to its name, the NCW Fair attracts people from all over North Central Washington – Wenatchee and East Wenatchee for sure, but also from Chelan, Okanogan and Grant counties.  

The fair board has worked to keep management as local as possible, Morley said, with volunteers responsible for putting on the events. 

“Our livestock sale is our livestock sale. Our rodeo is our rodeo,” she said. 

The fair’s expansion is not the work of the fair board or staff alone. Mosely said the Douglas County Commissioners have been very supportive and the fair has a long list of sponsors from throughout the region.  

“It really takes a community to keep a fairgrounds alive,” Morley said, and businesses and individuals have donated money, equipment use and time. 

The NCW Fair does have one thing in common with many organizations that depend heavily on volunteer labor – the need for more volunteers.  

“Our steer barns are full. Our pig barn is full. Which is a great problem to have,” Morley said, but it does require volunteers to keep the fair running.  

Many volunteers are getting older, she said, and she’s encouraging younger people to get involved. 

“That next generation really needs to step up,” she said. 

    The crowd enjoys the 2025 NCW Fair concert.
 COURTESY PHOTO/NCW FAIR   

    A cowboy tries to avoid getting bucked off in saddle bronc competition at the 2025 Big Bend Roundup at the NCW Fair.
 COURTESY PHOTO/NCW FAIR   

    A 4-H contestant at the 2025 NCW Fair makes her case to the judges.
 COURTESY PHOTO/NCW FAIR;David Thomas   

    A livestock contestant shows her pig during the NCW Fair in 2025.
 COURTESY PHOTO/NCW FAIR   

    Fairgoers learn about emergency services at one of the exhibits at the 2025 NCW Fair
 COURTESY PHOTO/NCW FAIR   

    A winning contestant shows off her ribbons and her prizewinning pig during the 2025 NCW Fair livestock sale.
 COURTESY PHOTO/NCW FAIR