The 32nd Annual Friday Harbor 8.8K Loop Run begins at 9:15 AM. This island event has been happening for 32 years! Saturday, August 15, at 9:15 am the race starts on Spring Street and ends at the Fair. Sponsored by San Juan Island Fitness and Island Rec! A discount is offered for registrations received by July 31. Race participants receive free t-shirt and entrance into the fair! Awards ceremony following the race takes place on the Entertainment Stage. To register go to Island Rec at 580 Guard Street or to www.islandrec.org and download a form or to pay by credit card go to www.active.com. Day of race registration accepted between 7:30 am and 8:30 am at Wells Fargo Bank parking lot on Spring Street. Call Island Rec at 378-4953 for more information.

The Fairly Outrageous Trashion-Fashion Show is a juried contest open to all individuals who are interested in recycled wearable art and accessories. Artists, designers, and generally creative people who have a fashion passion are invited to create wearable artwork for wear in a fashion show August 13, at 8p.m. Winners will receive cash awards or gift certificates. For official rules and an application, go the Forms tab in the Premium Book page.

The annual Sheep to Shawl demonstration begins at 10 AM on Saturday, and lasts until the woven shawls are finished in the afternoon. Always a crowd pleaser, this all-day event attracts large numbers of appreciative Fairgoers every year. The morning begins with a shearing demonstration, and then moves on to the creation of beautiful shawls by teams of spinners and weavers. Watch while the spinners first card clouds of wool fleece, and then spin the fibers into yarn. The weavers on their looms next turn these yarns into intricately patterned shawls. You'll have the chance to ask the spinners and weavers questions while they work, and watch their progress. At the end of the day, the completed shawls are raffled off to lucky winners.

For a schedule of events, demonstrations & workshops on the Fiber Courtyard click this link.  Fiber Courtyard Schedule

Essential Horsemanship Demonstration with Sus Kellogg of Free Horse Farm and friends from Plumb Pond Equine Sanctuary!  This is a unique opportunity to see exceptional partnership and harmony between horses and humans. An educational and inspirational event! Come watch this event at 5 pm on Saturday!  For more information: www.freehorsefarm.com or www.plumbpond.org

Special Fine Arts, Crafts & Photography Demonstration Please look for the special booths near Fine Arts and Photography departments. Come and join in! There will be lots of learning plus lots of fun. Watch your favorite local artists demonstrate their talents.

AG TENT The SJC Fair Agriculture Tent (a.k.a. the Ag Tent) is the place to be to learn all about San Juan County Agriculture ~ the heart of our beautiful island landscape! Exhibits will focus on the many benefits of buying, eating and growing local agricultural products that include reducing our carbon footprint, preserving our farmland and open space, improving our health, and increasing our food security. Our exhibit will also include updates on the work of several agricultural organizations in the county. Farm and garden surveys will also be available to fill out, which will help us to gaube food production in the county. Organized by the Agricultural Guild and the WSU Extension San Juan Ag Program.

Come to our daily Cooking With Local Foods presentations and taste all the delicious ways to eat local foods. Other presentations will include a series on propagating, salvaging and landscaping with native plants, identifying and controlling noxious weeds, updates on the farm-to-school programs and the permanent farmers market project, and saving local historic barns. The Ag Tent is also the home of the Grains and Forage Department. Bring your entries and come see and learn about all the grain and forage crops that can be grown in San Juan County!

The Green Tent, Stewardship Network of the San Juans- A variety of groups from the Stewardship Network of the San Juans will have displays, games, activities and a wealth of information about the natural world of the San Juan Islands and the Salish Sea. For a schedule of events please click here to download a PDF.

Emergency Medical Services Offers Free Resources - The San Juan Island Emergency Medical Service will be standing by at the Fair with Advanced Lifes Support Capabilities, free basic first aid, and free community resources. Bring the children by for a tour of the ambulance and free coloring books and stickers. Come by to sign up for the Airlift membership service. Free bicycle helmets and infant car seats will be available while supplies last. EMS encourages everyone to stay well hydrated, wear sunscreen and enjoy the fair. Visit their web-site at www.SanJuanEMS.org.

FIBER ARTS Come to the Fiber Courtyard adjoining the Wool Shed to find a variety of demonstrations and informal workshops in the fiber arts every day of the Fair. The ever popular "Sheep to Shawl" event will be held on Saturday, but on other days there will demonstrations and hands-on opportunities, including basket making, felting, hooking, weaving, and three-person knitting-in-the-round. Also scheduled for this year are two contests: speed knitting, and a "spinning of the longest thread". There will be lots going on and lots of fun, so for exact days and times click here.

If you are interested in entering the speed knitting contest (currently scheduled for Saturday), use a size 7 or 8 needle and appropriately-sized yarn to knit a three or four row sample; then come with your knitted piece, needles, and yarn to the Fiber Courtyard on Saturday.

The San Juan Horticultural Society A hundred years ago, a pioneer garden was highly practical with decorative plants sharing space with culinary herbs and medicinal plants for use by the household. Today, they are more relaxed confections which display imaginative color palettes celebrating new introductions offered by nurseries. The Horticultural Exhibit will include display gardens in both styles to celebrate 100 years of horticulture in the San Juan Islands.

Members of San Juan Garden Club join the San Juan Horticultural Society in manning the flower department this year. Both groups are ordinary gardening folks who enjoy each other’s company and who share gardening tips and flops, as well as learning from speaker’s new techniques on a wide variety of topics.
If either group sounds interesting to you, please know that you are welcome to attend any of the meetings. The Horticultural Society meets on the second Wednesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. at Islands Community Church on San Juan Island. The San Juan Island Garden Club meets at 1:00 pm the first Thursday of each month at various member’s homes. Call 378-5196 for information.

The San Juan Horticultural Society has been a long-time participant in the San Juan County Fair. The tireless work of the members who have contributed their time and efforts to keep the flower and vegetable departments running smoothly have been enjoyed by the community year after year.

Each year the San Juan Horticultural Society donates prizes for Best of Show ($25) and Best of Class ($10) in many classes in the flower, vegetable and fruit exhibits, in addition to the premiums and ribbons awarded by the fair.