SPOKANE, Wash — The Spokane County Interstate Fair isn’t taking place this year in person because of the pandemic so instead there will be a fair food drive-thru.
On the weekends of Sept. 11-13 and Sept. 18-20, there will be “The World’s Largest Fair Food Drive-Thru” at the Spokane County Fair and Expo Center.
According to the Spokane County website, 14 vendors will be serving all your fair food favorites, from deep fried Oreos and pizza to funnel cakes and kettle corn.
Drive-thru goers can enter the drive-thru at the South Gate accessible off of Havana Street. The easiest way to enter will be from Sprague. Attendees will get a menu when they enter and then directed around to the yellow gate. Be ready to tell volunteers which booth numbers you’re interested in visiting in order to correctly label your car. Cars will then be directed down Food Row where you will be able to purchase food from your car. Cars will exit through the red gate on the east end of the fairgrounds.
Admission is free. Food prices ranges from $5 to about $20. Pepsi products will also be available for purchase.
Spokane County announced in June that the 2020 Spokane County Interstate Fair will be held virtually due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
According to a release from county spokesperson Jared Webley, the fair normally creates $10 million in economic impact.
"When we started planning for this year’s fair, no one could have foreseen the chain of events that would result in the disruption of the 69th annual fair," Spokane County Board of Commissioners Chairman Al French said in the release. "The Fair creates nearly $10 million in economic impact. We realize this decision will have a large financial impact to vendors, suppliers, exhibitors, and our community.”
Advisory Board Chair Craig Opsal also states in the release that the decision "was the hardest we've ever had to make" and was due to uncertainties caused by the coronavirus.
French said staff members are working to plan ways for would-be attendees to be engaged with the fair virtually. Spokane County Fair and Expo Director Erin Gurtel said in the statement that for now, the county is planning for a normal fair in 2021.
More on the interstate fair can be found on the county's website.
