Young exhibitors bring the fair to life

Published 1:30 am Friday, July 17, 2026

In Oak Harbor, 18-year-old Lilly Kline jokes that her steer is “a stinker,” but after more than a decade of raising livestock, she still loves him. Down the island near Greenbank, 10-year-old Lina Moreno laughs as one of her goats weaves through poles, pauses for a hug and dodges the kiss she tries to plant on its cheek.

“It’s fun,” Lina said. “Goats like to build a good bond. And the baby goats are also really cute.”

For the two young exhibitors, the Whidbey Island Fair isn’t just four days on the calendar — it’s the culmination of months of early mornings, daily chores and patient training.

When the fair returns July 23-26 at the fairgrounds in Langley, 819 Camano Avenue, visitors will see the polished final product: prize-winning livestock, bustling barns and confident young handlers in the show ring.

Kline has been showing animals since she was 7 years old. This year she’ll be spread thin across three barns at the fair after months of preparation alongside her four siblings who are showing lambs, a cow and pigs. They each spend about 30 minutes every day walking the animals, not including the time they spend feeding and bathing them.

“I really try to put my all into my animals,” Kline said.

For Kline, raising livestock is about more than competition; it’s about ethically raising someone’s meal.

When a 4-H person raises an animal, she said, “you know that those kids put their heart into the animal and you know that animal is taken care of to the fullest extent.”

Her family’s commitment extends well beyond Island County. Heather Kline, Lilly’s mom, said the family regularly travels throughout Washington and into Oregon for livestock clinics and jackpot shows, giving all five children opportunities to compete and improve their skills.

Meanwhile, Moreno has spent half of her life building trust with her dairy goats. She will show four dairy goats and another in the “pack” event, where goats navigate teeter-totters, tires and weaving courses that require months of training.

While obstacle courses are more challenging to teach, Moreno said she especially enjoys showing dairy goats because of the connection she’s built with them. She plans to keep competing until she graduates from 4-H.

Their dedication is exactly what fair organizers hope visitors will experience when they see the livestock later this month.

The beloved fair will once again fill the grounds with familiar faces, livestock, carnival rides, competitions, live entertainment and plenty of classic fair food. For generations of families, summer doesn’t truly begin until the gates of the Whidbey Island Fair swing open.

While longtime favorites remain at the heart of the event, this year’s fair will also introduce several new contests and vendors designed to give visitors even more reasons to spend the day on the grounds.

Sure to inspire plenty of “oohs” and “ahhs,” the fair will debut a cutest baby contest with four age divisions, and a best mustache contest, according to fair manager Nancy Thelen. Organizers have also expanded the pie-eating contest to two days.

The new mustache contest welcomes every style imaginable.

“Any and all,” Thelen said. “Long, curled, thick and out of control — you name it.”

Returning food favorites include roasted corn, while a hot dog food truck and several first-time vendors will join the lineup.

The annual event also celebrates Whidbey Island’s agricultural roots while showcasing local 4-H exhibitors, entertainment and family-friendly attractions.

Visitors can meet the young people who have spent the past year raising livestock, cheer them on in the show ring, catch a rodeo and barrel race, enjoy carnival rides and indulge in fair classics like funnel cakes. Children’s entertainment includes magicians, stilt walkers and a bubble performer whose giant bubbles invite kids to jump around and pop them. Lucky visitors may find some prize-filled eggs laid by Sheriff Fowler’s Giant Chicken, who will be roaming the grounds.

For Thelen, though, the fair’s biggest attraction is something that can’t be bought with an admission ticket.

“It is a long-standing tradition that I don’t want to see disappear,” she said. “It is a gathering place for generations to reunite and catch up while enjoying the education and entertainment of the fair.”

Kline’s and Moreno — two young people who have spent months caring for animals long before the fair opened — are a reminder that while the Whidbey Island Fair lasts only four days, the heart of the fair is built year-round by the island’s families.

Kline and her siblings will be showing their livestock animals on Thursday. Moreno will be showing her dairy goats at 9:30 a.m. on Friday and will be at the pack show later that day at 1:30 p.m.

The youth livestock auction starts at noon on July 25. Admission, schedules and more information are available at whidbeyislandfair.com.