NW Fair in Lynden, WA

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This fair includes all of Whatcom Co., NW most mainland county in WA, and was really very enjoyable. Its a true community fair that mirrors the county businesses (primarily agricultural) and values. The fair is a week long w/ various grand stand shows/events plus all of the usual animal related judging/events, commercial exhibits, midway etc. I only made it for Fri and Sat to see the horse and tractor pulling. If you have the opportunity to attend I dont think youll be disappointed. Did I mention that it was fun??

 

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Horse pulling out here is different than in NH and New England in general. There were only 2 classes, light and heavy. Im not sure if thats due to the small number of entries or there thats just how its done. The boat was a bit different too...a double ended affair that could be pulled from either end. This made pulling somewhat faster as the boat didnt require a reset after each pull. The lane was long enough for all teams to pull in one direction and then back again once more weight was added. The final difference was the driver stood or sat on the boat during the pull. In NE the driver walks along w/ his team while they work.

This is from the light class, a couple fine looking teams.

 

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This also is from the light class and is a sequence of pics to give a sense of the pulling action from the hitch to the end of the pull.

 

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Another from the light class...working hard!!!

 

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Final in the light class...the winning team.

 

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After the light pull there was an hour long 'horse show'. Being from the east it was a bit differnet than the staid and highly choreographed shows Im used to. Exc for the first bit it was mostly a wild high speed low drag affair that had this boy on the edge of the seat. I must say you westerners are good horsemen...WOW!!! This is the first time Ive seen anything like it!!! BTW it was pretty fun to watch.

These pics are from the 6 horse draft hitch. There were 10 teams in what looked like a big arena -- they sure soaked up the space! Even w/ 40' of 'hood' in front these guys really could drive those teams! Basically it was a free for all, nothing rehearsed in advance...everyone just drove at a pretty good clip.

 

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More 'horse show' -- this is what they called the Crazy 8's. It was 8 high powered ponies hitched to small wagons. I had no idea how FAST ponies could make a wagon go. These guys had no problem doing 4 wheel drifts. Again it was a free for all and the drivers could get those teams turning on a dime. Some of the teams came pretty close to each other only to switch direction and part company. Did I mention it was FAST and furious???

 

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Here are some pics from the heavy class pull.

1) a good looking team

2) my view (a small slice it it anyway) from the grandstand w/ Mt Baker in the backgroud

3) the winning team

 

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OK, its Sat now and time for the tractor pulling. I thought I was going to just see the antiques/classics pull but other stuff showed up too. In fact it seems that if it had wheels and a motor they were running it. It was loud, dusty, smoky, FAST and sometimes ended badly for the tractor. As usual they ran 2 lanes for non-stop action.

The antique/classic pull was invitation only which limited the field to those in the top 3 from previous pulls. The AC's, IH and Oliver dominated all other brands.

Im not sure how they decided who would run in the other classes. I think it had something to do w/ loud and fast. The exploding motors and flying parts were a fringe benefit for those in the stands. Basically it was a drag race in the true sense of the term....see who could drag the big weight down the lane farthest and fastest.

 

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Some pics of the 3 AC D17s that showed up (and did well).