Kenny Lake Fair
Wave Trade performs at the Kenny Lake Fair. Photo by Hannah Rowland
Hannah Rowland - CRR Staff
As I woke up the morning of the Kenny Lake Fair, I realized that I probably should’ve packed a little bit warmer clothes for our day outside in the brisk August weather. I thought about the upcoming 5K fun run and I remembered back in high school when my coaches reminded us that August is not July and that we need to dress for colder temperatures.
I then realized that I had forgotten all those years of experience and now I only had the clothes I packed with us for the day. Thankfully what I had was alright, but I was not as comfortable as I would have liked. Yes, August is almost gone and despite what the few sunny days may feel like, the cold weather is coming, and we must be ready for it.
The Kenny Lake Fair started off the night before with a delicious dinner and dessert auction followed by a square dance. The funds raised from this event go to the Kenny Lake High School Scholarship Fund. Delectable desserts were auctioned off with generous donations flowing to the fund.
The square dance that followed was filled with lots of hands clapping, boot stomping, swinging your partner and do si do’s. All different skill levels joined in.
On Saturday, the fair started off with the 5K fun run, and a 1 mile run for kids ages 10 and younger. I have not really been keeping up with my running or biking this year since having to keep up with all the house chores and two small children this summer. I decided to go ahead and run it anyway, despite not feeling in shape to run anywhere close to my 5k personal record. I realized that despite feeling unprepared I probably was more prepared than I thought and I needed to get back into being active at some point, so I might as well take this opportunity and do it.
Racers of all ages participated in the fun run, starting at the fair grounds and heading up the bike path. When they got to a distance marker they turned around and headed back down to the finish line at the fair.
Tyler Anderson from Valdez was the first finisher for the 5k with a time of 18:34. Matthew Bronico finished in 2nd place with a time of 20:30. Jessy Barnes finished 3rd in 23:32. Andrew Bryan, who was first for his age group of 11-15, had a time of 23:58. I was the first finisher for the women with the time of 24:05, followed close behind by Mary Brunner with a time of 24:10 minutes. Next to cross the finish line was Laura Scott with a time of 24:51.
For Ages 6-10, Seth Patinka ran the 5k with a time of 29:57, followed by Timothy Lorenz with a time of 30:39. The first to cross the finish line pushing a stroller was Hannah Steck with a time of 32:48. For Ages 50-59: Rodney Cox placed first for men and Shawna Goodwin and Shanna Sellers were first and 2nd for women. Sammy Patinka Was 2nd to finish for the boys ages 11-15.
Evan Lorenz Won the 1 mile race for Ages 6-7 with a time of 10:21. Zebedee Steck was the next to cross the finish line, first for ages 5 and under, with a time of 14:16. Noel Steck and Teagon Anderson tied for first place for girls 5 and under with a time of 14:24. Isla Patinka was next, followed by my daughter Leah Rowland to finish the 1 mile for the children.
From 9-12 the Kenny Lake Volunteer Fire Department served a delicious breakfast in the Kenny Lake Community Hall. Outside, there were many other places to get local cuisine.
Locals enjoying the Kenny Lake Fair. Photo by Hannah Rowland
Other local businesses had booths as well, selling anything from home décor to local handmade artwork. The library had a booth for a book sale, selling books at 50 cents apiece. There was also a booth with some carnival games: knocking down tin cans, ring toss, and bean bag toss.
On the stage there was local music provided by Sammy Knutson and Wave Trade. The music was beautiful, fun, and uplifting, adding a special touch to the fair. Throughout the day the fair took a break from the live bands to have a couple of cake walks. The walks cost $1 per round, quite a lot cheaper than what deserts were going for the night previously – but it was all in the luck of the draw.
The categories for local exhibits were: fruits and veggies, flowers, animals, photography and art, foods, hobbies and crafts, and hand and needlework. Although there were many impressive entries for the exhibits, coordinator Julie Knutson said we need more people to be involved in bringing local exhibits next year.
Exhibits at the Kenny Lake Fair. Photo by Hannah Rowland
The artwork pieces for the exhibits were displayed inside. Among them were a beautiful wooden bench, paintings of desert animals, Lego structures, an impressive cardboard ship and helmet, and a needle felt display of forest animals called “Woodland Retreat.” Sarah Patinka entered in some beautiful paintings of Alaskan animals and Katie Helkenn entered beautiful quilts along with some from other local quilters.
There were many animals at the fair, brought in from local homes and farms. There were chickens, ducks, rabbits, turkeys, pigs, sheep, goats and even a couple of yaks. Some of the animals were placed in a petting zoo. The children loved the petting zoo, but the ducks didn’t look so happy after a few hours of having their wings grabbed while being held. One duck was rather clever and decided to stand in the water bowl so he would not likely get picked up.
Petting zoo at Kenny Lake Fair. Photo by Hannah Rowland
Another popular livestock at the fair were the horses. Some of the local horses were brought to the fair to give children the opportunity to ride. Horse rides were $5. The children were given a helmet, helped onto the back of a horse, and led around the paddock.
The fair does not have a current judge panel for the exhibits, so they randomly choose a winner for each category by drawing names. The winner for fruits and veggies was Linda Flint and for the youth was Fisher Klister. Barb Wallace was awarded for her flowers she entered, and there were no youth entries. In Animals, Naomi Stickney and Abby Kurts, youth, were chosen for awards. Sarah Cochron was selected for photography and art. There were no youth entries in this area.
For foods Jenny Moser was chosen, also no youth entered in this category. James Marchini was selected for arts and crafts with Andrew and Nathan Bryan for the youth selection. In hand and needlework, Arlene Rosenkrans Rayana Proch were chosen. If you are interested in helping to judge an area of your expertise in the future, please reach out to Julie Knutson at (907)-406-0708.
