With the 2022 Southwest Washington Fair and Washington State Garlic Festival in the books, Lewis County Parks and Recreation Director and Fair Manager Connie Riker has announced her resignation.
Riker spoke about her decision to leave during a county meeting on Wednesday morning where attendance for the Garlic Fest and fair were covered. She announced that in 2019, attendance to the Garlic Fest, which spans a weekend, was around 7,000 visitors. This year, about 10,000 people attended the event, she said, calling it very successful despite a bad harvest year for garlic leading to a shortage of vendors.
“For fair and Garlic Fest, those events this last month have generated just about $1 million for this community,” Riker said Wednesday.
However, getting those events up and running required her to work for 173 consecutive days of mostly 12 to 18 hour shifts, she said, before listing personal reasons that make the job not sustainable for her.
“I’m very proud of my work with the department. As your transition director, which is what I’ve decided to call myself as I’ve been transitioning from post-COVID into your next phase, I’m pleased with the improvements at the parks, with the hours, the hosts and the upcoming playground equipment that’s coming soon,” Riker added.
She was then thanked by coworkers and commissioners for her dedication to the position. Her transition out of the role will take place over the coming weeks.
