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Music, cows and cash prizes: Spokane County Fair announces concert lineup, other events

During a Spokane County Interstate Fair media event, sponsors of Heroes Day at the fair on Sept. 11, Tina and Dean Culp with Carpet Barn take a selfie with this year’s fair mascot, Cedar, a Scottish Highland heifer born in January. (COLIN MULVANY/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)
By Elena Perry elenap@spokesman.com(509) 459-5270

Clint Black, Craig Morgan, Martina McBride and X Ambassadors will perform at the Spokane County Interstate Fair this year, fair officials and sponsors announced Thursday along with other events fair-goers should mark their calendars for.

Black and Morgan are scheduled to take the stage Sept. 12. On Sept. 13, McBride will perform. X Ambassadors will close the line-up on Sept. 14.

Cedar the 4-month-old Scottish Highland cow will be at the fair both weekends to meet her adoring fans as the fair’s first live mascot. Cedar, having entered the world in a cold spell, is no stranger to human handling; her chin and neck are her favorite spots to be scratched.

“She took a lot of TLC and attention, but we knew she was destined for something special because of that,” said Honey Smith, Cedar’s owner at Dalkena Highlands.

Fairs are synonymous with flashing lights and a raucous din that can overwhelm many, especially those with intellectual or developmental disabilities. With this in mind, Sept. 12 will be “sensory day,” sponsored by BECU, where from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., rides will operate without any lights or music.

“For people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families, sometimes coming to the fair can be so overwhelming,” said Jennifer Oliveri from the Arc of Spokane, which partnered with fair organizers to design the low-sensory day. “They want to be here. They want to have all the fun, but it can be really overstimulating.”

On Sept. 17, all school employees can enter the fair free of charge by showing their employee ID upon entrance.

Family packs of tickets will be sold exclusively at the two TDS Telecom retail locations prior to the fair.

The store is also sponsoring a daily $100 cash prize giveaway. To partake, patrons will receive a happy hour slip as they enter the fairgrounds. After filling it out, fair-goers can return the slip to the TDS booths to enter the drawing.

The cash prizes don’t stop there – the Spokane Tribe Casino is sponsoring the fair’s cornhole tournament, which this year has been extended from four days to 10, offering a $10,000 cash prize.

The fair will run from Sept. 8-17, at the Spokane County Fair and Expo center. Concer tickets go on sale 10 a.m. Friday at TicketsWest.com. Tickets for other events will be available July 10.