The county-owned location can hold thousands and easily becomes the place where people start to think on a big scale. And sometimes, Baker brings them back down to earth — gently.

“Somebody will say they want the pavilion for 500 people,” Baker said. “Well, I tell them, ‘You could take half the pavilion and make your event seem more intimate and actually make it look like there’s more people.’”

The pavilion and other amenities at the fairgrounds have most often been used for community use — Navy retirements, graduations, and other events such as the recent Kitsap Reads program sponsored by The Sun and county commissioners.

“There’s more facility here than people realize.”

Though few private groups hold events there, it is available to them. Last year Internet wiring was installed, courtesy of the state Department of Emergency Management. In a time of disaster, the site is designated as the hub for rescue efforts, hence the funds.

That role is yet another in a big list of expectations for the site.

And why not? Where else are you going to get a stadium that sits 5,000, and a pavilion with 37,000-square-feet of floor space (43,000 total) that can “comfortably sit 4,350 people” — according to the Kitsap County Parks and Recreation Department.

Four little league fields and two soccer fields can also be added to the mix of a particularly ambitious party.

All that was not enough to hold Endfest, an alternative music festival. It moved to The Gorge Amphitheater this summer after a successful few years at the fairgrounds.

“That was a lot of fun and a lot of work,” Baker said,” but they had outgrown us.”
The fairgrounds offer only the most basic services. Baker keeps it simple, for both traditional and practical reasons. For instance no catering is provided.
“We want to point people toward local businesses who can offer their services,” she said.

Baker said her ease with the public and her job comes with a “love of organizing.” But it is also in her blood. Her father, Bill Huntington, held her job when the Pavilion first opened in the 1980s.

“I pick his brains every now and then,” Baker said. “And the bigger the event the more I go to him to ask advice.”

The foreseeable future looks marginally less busy. Bookings for 2003 are currently limited, Baker said, because major renovations planned at the time would interfere with any large events.

As the fairground hosts more events, Baker said, the need for an upgrade becomes more apparent. Even its old name seems inaccurate.

“Even though it is called the fairgrounds we’re trying to get away from that,” she said. “We’ve become more of an events coordinating facility. We walk people through their needs.”

The next big public event at the fairground complex — and it is outside — is the 2002 County Fair and Stampede, Aug. 21-25. This year marks the 80th staging of the event and the forty-fourth time at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds. Baker plans (and plans and plans) to notch another success and maybe hit up her father for a tip or three.