NCW Fair brings agriculture, exhibits and entertainment to Waterville

A young exhibitor carries a goat through the livestock barn during the North Central Washington Fair in Waterville. The four-day fair brought together livestock, agricultural exhibits, carnival attractions and entertainment Aug. 27-30.

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Garden produce took on some decidedly less conventional forms in one of the NCW Fair's creative exhibit categories, where vegetables were transformed into colorful creatures.

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A young fairgoer rides the carousel as carnival lights fill the midway during the NCW Fair.

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Bob peers from his stall alongside ribbons earned at the NCW Fair, where livestock competitions remained a centerpiece of the four-day event.

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Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and other locally grown produce filled tables in the NCW Fair exhibit buildings, with entries competing for ribbons across numerous horticultural categories.

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Jars of canned fruit were among the preserved foods entered for judging at the NCW Fair.

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Fairgoers try their luck at a midway game during the NCW Fair in Waterville.

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Children board the Ferris wheel as the carnival midway operated after dark during the North Central Washington Fair in Waterville.

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A colorful handmade animal sculpture displays its second-place ribbon among youth projects exhibited at the NCW Fair.

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A pig roots through the bedding in its pen inside one of the livestock barns at the NCW Fair.

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A goat cannot resist the foliage decorating the inside of its pen, even if it is artificial.

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A pink and orange dahlia was among the flowers displayed in the NCW Fair exhibit buildings.

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Posted Sunday, August 30, 2026 10:42 am

By ANDREW SIMPSON
Ward Media Staff Reporter

WATERVILLE — Prize-winning produce lined the tables, livestock filled the barns and carnival lights cut through the night as the North Central Washington Fair brought four days of agriculture, exhibits and entertainment to Waterville Aug. 27-30.

The annual fair combined the livestock and agricultural traditions at the heart of the event with carnival rides and games, concerts, midway entertainment and the Big Bend Round-Up.

Inside the exhibit buildings, seemingly ordinary garden produce competed for ribbons alongside considerably less ordinary creations made from it. Vegetables became animals and other creatures in one display, while nearby tables held rows of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and other produce entered for judging.

Other exhibits ranged from canned fruits and vegetables to flowers, artwork, crafts and youth projects, with ribbons marking winners throughout the buildings.

The fair included competition for 4-H, FFA, Grange and Open Class exhibitors across a broad range of categories, including livestock, horticulture, photography, arts and crafts, sewing, baking and food preservation.

In the livestock barns, cattle, goats, pigs, horses, rabbits, poultry and other animals occupied stalls and pens as exhibitors tended to them throughout the weekend. For young participants, the fair represented the public culmination of projects that can involve months of raising, feeding, grooming and working with their animals.

The agricultural exhibits shared the grounds with a midway that came increasingly to life after dark, with carnival rides, games and brightly lit attractions filling another part of the fair experience.

Country singer Niko Moon opened the fair's grandstand entertainment Thursday, Aug. 27, followed by Walker Hayes on Friday. Entertainment throughout the four-day event also included Trevor & Lorena Comedy & Magic, Reptile Isle and live music.

Youth agriculture took center stage again Saturday with the Youth Livestock Sale, while the Big Bend Round-Up brought rodeo action to the arena Saturday and Sunday. The fair's final day also included Cowboy Church and live music.

The fair traces its history to 1889, when it began as the Douglas County Industrial Exposition. Over the years it became the Waterville Potato Carnival, then the Douglas County Fair before eventually taking the North Central Washington Fair name.

More than a century later, the mix remained recognizable: things grown, raised, preserved and made locally sharing a fairground with rides, games and entertainment.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media