KENNEWICK, Wash. – The Benton Franklin Fair & Rodeo wrapped up its 76th year with cooler weather and record-breaking crowds.
Some of the highlights:
• 123,547 people attended the five-day event.
• The Horse Heaven Round-Up was broadcast live on The Cowboy Channel, distributed to 42 million households.
• The Horse Department was awarded the coveted Fair Commissioner’s Black & White rosette by the State Department of Agriculture for excellence in education and display of the exhibits.
• The Rotary club fried 8,336 elephant ears.
• STCU provided 586 school employees with free admission to the Fair, a welcome treat just before the school year started.
• The Wrangler Girls drill team ran flags 342 times during the rodeo, using 224 ounces of glitter and 15 cans of hairspray in the process.
• A portion of opening day ticket sales will be donated to 2nd Harvest. This year’s donation will be $2,834. With that contribution, the Fair has helped source 170,000 pounds of food for the hunger-relief network over the past 16 years.
• Four first-year livestock exhibitors received $1,100 GALE Grants to support their efforts. All four successfully completed their projects by selling their animals at the Market Stock Auction.
• Nonprofits, service clubs and community organizations earned $194,649 to support youth activities, scholarships, and other causes in the community year-round.
• Youth exhibitors and participants received $10,000 in scholarships.
• Ben Franklin Transit provided 24,214 rides to and from the Fair. Bus rides were free courtesy of CPPCo.
• Attendees were treated to over 90 free shows across the grounds, including Matt Baker Comedy + Stunt Show, Hillia Hula Extraordinaire, Barnyard Racers, XPogo Stunt Team, and Mutton Bustin' and longhorns by Ride Hard Entertainment.
• The Market Stock Auction generated $1,446,000 for local 4-H, Grange and FFA members, making it the largest grossing youth livestock auction in the state.
• A total of 153 cowboys and cowgirls participated in the Rascal Rodeo, with the help of 130 enthusiastic volunteers, making this year’s Rascal Rodeo the most attended in its history.
• $2,250 was awarded to participants in the Youth Livestock Video Contest. The contest offered young exhibitors a unique opportunity to showcase their livestock handling and presentation skills through video, further enhancing their educational experience at the Fair.
• Graduates of Benton County Therapeutic Courts in August received free tickets courtesy of the Benton Franklin Fair.
• 163 people were employed directly by the Fair; with hundreds more working for vendors and contractors.
• The Fair collaborated with Columbia Ability Alliance to operate a Welcome Wagon each morning to greet vendors. CAA clients were able to learn valuable workplace skills as part of the program.
• The Benton Franklin Fair & Rodeo has an annual economic impact of
$20 million in Benton County. It takes more than 500 volunteers to produce the annual event.
The 2025 Benton Franklin Fair & Horse Heaven Round-Up will be August 19-23.