Every year, Karen Kildall Occhiogrosso is asked who the Northwest Washington Fair’s big grandstand headliner is, and every year, her response as the fair’s director of sponsorships is the same: It all depends on what you like.
This year’s fair — held August 8 to 17 at Lynden’s Northwest Washington Fair & Event Center — features yet another diverse array of grandstand entertainment sponsored by Bank of the Pacific.
“Bank of the Pacific has just been such a generous partner,” says Kildall Occhiogrosso. “They’ve been with us for 22 years and were our very first sponsorship. The infusion of their sponsorship not only helps the grandstand, but it helps our mission of core values: youth, community, agriculture, education, and entertainment.”
Michelle Camping, a longtime Bank of the Pacific mortgage lender, remembers being excited when the sponsorship first began. Over the decades, she’s enjoyed working for a community bank that’s also an integral sponsor of a community fair. Much like the diversity of the grandstand entertainment each year, Bank of the Pacific serves a wide array of customers, from families and farmers to local business owners.
“Having this partnership with the fair is like an extension of the relationships we have with our customers,” Camping says. “It goes along with who we are as a bank and what we stand for.”
2024 Line-Up
From the demolition derby and rodeo, to Christian, country, hip hop, rock, and Hispanic music, there’s plenty to experience in the grandstand this year.
Things kick off on August 8 and 9 with two evenings of hard-hitting demolition derby action. Friday night is already sold out, and tickets are moving fast for Thursday evening’s event.
“I don’t remember a time that the evening demo derby shows have not been sold out,” says Kildall Occhiogrosso.
Country artist Walker Hayes will take the stage on Saturday, August 10. Both Camping and Tana Tjoelker, a fellow Bank of the Pacific mortgage lender, say their teenage daughters have already bought tickets to the show.
On Sunday, August 11, Banda Los Recoditos will perform. The immensely popular Mexican group was founded in 1989 and maintains a strong following up and down the West Coast of the United States. The inclusion of Hispanic entertainment on Sundays, Kildall Occhiogrosso says, has seen overwhelming support since debuting in 2021.
Monday, August 12 and Tuesday, August 13 will see the annual return of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) Rodeo nights, followed by contemporary Christian music artist Leeland on Wednesday, August 14.
Country’s Chris Janson takes the grandstand stage on Thursday, August 15, followed by rock’s Ace Frehley and Steven Adler on Friday night, August 16. Frehley, founding lead guitarist of KISS, will be performing the band’s hits alongside Adler, the former Guns N’ Roses drummer who’ll also be paying tribute to his former band.
Things conclude on Saturday evening, August 17, when multi-platinum rapper Ludacris performs to an already sold-out crowd. Ludacris joins the likes of Nelly, Ne-Yo, and Flo Rida as recent hip-hop performers at the fair.
Kildall Occhiogrosso says she expects more of the events to completely sell out. Last year, both nights of the demo derby and rodeo, along with several concerts, sold every last ticket.
“It’s a very diverse lineup,” she says. “I definitely think there’s something for everyone here. If you’re looking to buy tickets, I would snap them up very quickly.”
A Feeling of Community
Each night, employees from various Bank of the Pacific departments will have the honor of welcoming the crowd to the grandstand.
“To be part of an event that our community can enjoy together is a real privilege,” says Tjoelker. “It’s a joy to witness it.”
Both Camping and Tjoelker have great memories of past grandstand shows, including a performance of Kenny Rogers and the famous, unannounced 1997 guest appearance of Garth Brooks during a Trisha Yearwood show.
With another year at the fair just around the corner, Tjoelker says she looks forward to taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of the event.
“There’s nothing quite like the feeling of a Saturday night at the fair, in the grandstand, listening to a great band and knowing that you work for a company that supports the community coming out to have fun,” she says. “There’s just a feeling that everybody is in this together.”
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