The Fair Flash
News, views and more from this year's Island County Fair
Somebody has to do it
August 17th, 2009 at Mon, 17th, 2009 at 1:15 pm by Roy Jacobson
James Engen with his trash cart: "It's a fun, relaxed job."
You might say James Engen is providing a back-end service at the fair.
He’s one of several young people from the area in green and white shirts reading “Fair Staff” who collect the trash and roll it in their carts to the dumpsters out near where the RVs are parked.
Engen, 15, of Oak Harbor, has been doing the job for three years, and said he usually works the morning shift, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
He said business had been down so far on the first day of the fair.
“I’ve collected 10 to 12 bags so far,” he said. “Usually I would have about 30.”
He said sometimes the bags get messy — open tops and spilling contents and the like — “but we get plastic gloves.”
Engen said he’ll be back next year, if he can’t find a permanent summer position.
“It’s a fun, relaxed job, with great people,” he said, munching a red licorice rope.
Roy Jacobson I'm a reporter and photographer for the South Whidbey Record, covering the city of Langley, Freeland and Fire District 3. Have a tip? Give me a call at 221-5300 or e-mail me.
More articles by Roy Jacobson >
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