Kittitas County, WA -09/03/2015 – Labor Day weekend in Ellensburg involves carnival rides, fair food, animals, and more. Over 75,000 people visit the Kittitas County Fair and the Kittitas County Public Health Department (KCPHD) wants visitors and residents to enjoy as well as stay healthy.
If you will be serving or preparing delicious fair food, please complete your food handler class. Although fair food vendors are only required to have one person on site with a valid food worker card at all times, KCPHD encourages all people working with food to know about food safety. Food worker cards are available online at https://www.foodworkercard.wa.gov/ and cost $10.00 to complete.
Washing hands for a full twenty seconds with running water and soap is the best way to avoid getting sick. Washing hands should be done after touching animals or their surroundings and before eating or drinking. Clean hands stop germs from spreading from one person to another.
Animals at the fair like sheep, poultry, and pigs can carry dangerous bacteria and viruses. An estimated half-million people in the U.S. get sick every year due to contact with animal exhibits. People can pick up bacteria and viruses by touching the animals and their surroundings. Pregnant women, older adults, children under five, and anyone with an underlying illness should be especially careful when around animals at the fair. For more information about staying safe around animals, visit https://www.doh.wa.gov/AboutUs/ProgramsandServices/EnvironmentalPublicHealth/EnvironmentalHealthSafetyandToxicology/ZoonoticDisease.aspx.
For more information about safety recommendations during the Kittitas County Fair, please contact the Kittitas County Public Health Department at (509) 962-7515.
Kittitas County, from the Cascades to the Columbia, and online at www.co.kittitas.wa.us
