Sweet as cotton Candy THE STORY OF THE BONNER COUNTY FAIR

by Jenny Leo

Nineteen twenty-seven was a year of firsts. Charles Lindbergh completed the first transatlantic airplane flight. “The Jazz Singer” mesmerized moviegoers with the first “talkie.” In Sandpoint, a brand new Panida Theater opened. And Bonner County held its first fair.

To be clear, while 1927 marked the first “official” Bonner County Fair, it was not the earliest fair. In 1908, enterprising politician Paul Clagstone gained favor with the influential Sandpoint Commercial Club by proposing a fair be held to showcase local agriculture. Two upstairs rooms in the Whitaker Block (today’s Larson’s building) were commandeered for the event. Though the location necessarily excluded livestock, the two-day fair generated excitement with lavish displays of produce, flowers, even locally mined ore. The newspaper credited the “ladies” with making sure the rooms were “prettily decorated with needle and art work.”

Fairs appeared sporadically over the next two decades. In 1915 the Sagle Farmer’s Union held a one-day fair “for the purpose of giving the farmers in their district an opportunity to exhibit their products and ... afford them the benefit of seeing what their neighbors are doing in the farm line,” per the newspaper. But there was no consistency in when, where, and by whom fairs would be held until 4-H clubs entered the scene in the 1920s to encourage young people’s participation in agriculture.

In 1926, 4-H club participants eager to display the results of their hard work held fairs in Laclede and Sagle. Inspired by enthusiastic community response to these events, the county got into the act, sponsoring the first Bonner County Fair in 1927. The Methodist hall housed this fair, with livestock displayed in a nearby vacant lot. The event was a huge success. Large crowds quickly overwhelmed the space, even after some exhibits moved to neighboring buildings.

Needing more spacious quarters, the county acquired lakefront property on Ontario Street. Sandpoint architect Henry L. Mountjoy designed the first buildings, which sat approximately where the Bonner County Historical Society stands today.

By 1930, the fairgrounds included an agriculture hall, four cattle sheds, and a judging pavilion seating 700. “Since 1927, the fair has made rapid growth and is a credible institution with far-reaching influence,” bragged the newspaper that year. “It is a free fair, strictly educational, without games of chance, races, or other entertainment to detract from the educational exhibits and programs.” The fair remains carnival-free to this day.

In 1931 a women’s building was added to the ag hall (with a women’s department run by the Sandpoint Civic Club) that housed concessions provided by area churches, until a separate dining hall was built.

The fair thrived until 1942, when no fair took place due to wartime shortages of tires and gasoline. During the war years, 1943 to 1945, 4-H ran the fairs, and defense stamps were given as prizes.

After the war, Bonner County resumed sponsorship of the fair. More improvements were added, including an outside show ring in 1955. Needing room to grow, the county purchased 40 acres on North Boyer from Don Shaffer with an eye to building new fairgrounds.

Both the first Queen of the Fair (Karen Arndt) and a fire that gutted one of the barns occurred in 1967. The need for relocation grew pressing, and county levies accelerated construction at the Boyer property. Ground was broken in 1968, and the current fairgrounds opened in 1971.

Still going strong, the Bonner County Fair remains a much anticipated “summer reunion” for old-timers and newcomers alike. Get ready for plenty of fun, friendly competition, and food on a stick as the community once again celebrates its agricultural roots, August 16–19, 2023.