Southern Washington Hamlet Welcomes Visitors to Milk Cows, Race and Experience Life in the Country
Farmers and runners, kids, bakers and competitive cowpie throwers will all have something to enjoy at the annual Trout Lake Fair, an all-day celebration of farm, food and community in rural southern Washington on Saturday, August 4.
Sponsored by Organic Valley Family of Farms and organized by Trout Lake dairy farming family Monte and Laura Pearson, the day is jam-packed with fun and games. The gun goes off at 8 a.m., Saturday, August 4, for the 5- and 10-K race around Trout Lake. Hungry runners and spectators can tuck into a Fireman’s breakfast of huckleberry pancakes to sate their appetites.
Then, the games begin: Bucking bales, an egg toss and a cowpie Frisbee throw feed the competitive spirit. Beautiful Jersey cows from the Pearson family farm, Mt. Laurel Jersey Dairy, will be walked down to the fairgrounds to partake in the milking contest, which pits one milker against another in a race to see who can fill their pail first. Athletic Border Collies from Organic Valley farmer Allen Voortman’s nearby farm will go head to head in a cow herding contest.
The annual parade is part and parcel of the fair and it wends its way down the main street of Trout Lake, nestled at the base of Mt. Adams—about 25 miles north of the Columbia Gorge. The parade ends at the Old Trout Lake School, now called Jonah Ministries, where fairgoers can view prize-winning garden vegetables, home baked goods and handmade quilts vying for the coveted blue ribbon awards. All items will be auctioned off at the close of the day’s festivities.
Trout Lake Fair is free and open to the public. Those interested in competing in the 5-K or 10-K race can register the morning of the race beginning at 7 a.m. The cost for the race is $13 with a T-shirt or $5 without. For more information, contact Laura Pearson at 509-395-2421.
The Pearson Family Farm is the force behind Trout Lake Fair, which is the quintessential summertime. Their Century Farm is one of three Organic Valley member dairies in the area.
Organic Valley Family of Farms: Independent and Farmer-Owned
Organic Valley is America’s largest cooperative of organic farmers and is one of the nation’s leading organic brands. Organized in 1988, it represents over 1,000 farmers in 29 states and one Canadian province, and achieved $334 million in 2006 sales. Focused on its founding mission of saving family farms through organic farming, Organic Valley produces more than 200 organic foods, including organic milk, soy, cheese, butter, spreads, creams, eggs, produce and juice, which are sold in supermarkets, natural foods stores and food cooperatives nationwide. The same farmers who produce for Organic Valley also produce a full range of delicious organic meat under the Organic Prairie Family of Farms label. For further information, call 1-888-444-MILK or visit www.organicvalley.coop, www.organicprairie.com and the cooperative’s farmers’ website, www.farmers.coop.
