SOUTH WHIDBEY: Impasse puts Whidbey Island Fair in jeopardy (SWR)

Kira Erickson reports for the South Whidbey Record from the Port of South Whidbey board meeting on Tue., May 9, 2023.

With under 100 days to go until the Whidbey Island Fair, officials from the fair association and the Port of South Whidbey have reached a stalemate that puts the entirety of this year’s fair at risk...

The port has owned the Whidbey Island Fairgrounds since 2016, when the public voted on a measure that transferred ownership from Island County and increased the port’s tax levy rate by 5 cents to provide about $200,000 annually to fund facility improvements, maintenance and operations.…

The issue came to a boiling point at a Port of South Whidbey Board of Commissioners meeting this week. Nearly 20 community members spoke on the topic in the packed room, with some coming from as far away as Oak Harbor to voice their opinions.

They Said It

“People voted to save the fair and to save the agriculture,” Fair Manager Carol Coble said in an interview with The Record. “They did not vote to have the other part of the fairgrounds be rented out to private businesses on public land.”

Port Commissioner Curt Gordon reminded the public that the port’s goal, and the ballot issue, specified that the port’s efforts and money is directed at maintaining the fairgrounds, which is not to be confused with funding the fair.

“The goal is truly to keep the fair around by keeping the fairgrounds healthy,” he said.

Port Commissioner Jack Ng said it’s not cheap to maintain the property. The buildings have required a lot of work over the past few years.

“If you guys want to see this fairgrounds preserved for the next generation, you guys need to help the port out too,” Ng said. “There’s a reason why the county gave it to us, because the county could not afford to keep it up.”

Coble said the fair association does not plan to sign the port’s lease agreement in its current form, which leaves out the Malone and Burrier buildings. This means that other aspects of the fair are also on hold, from the carnival rides to the vendors to the entertainers.

“The whole thing is really crazy,” she said. “It’s really stressful.”

On the Ballot in November 2023