Sorry, that I’m a little late with this. Where has the summer gone anyway?
August 3-7: Thurston County Fair in Lacey, a little north of Olympia, visitors will eat traditional fair food (Fisher Scones, please), watch 4H competitions, play games, watch Professor Bamboozle and participate in a craft beer, wine and hard cider tasting event, if you’re over 21. 
August 5-7: Seafair Weekend , a signature event in Seattle for decades. The weekend includes parades, neighborhood celebrations, hydroplane racing and a performance by the Blue Angels over Lake Washington.
August 5-7: Stanwood-Camano Community Fair offers a parade, country fair, contests and exhibits, a carnival, Lego-building contest, make it and take it sewing demonstrations, youth mechanical science quiz bowl, animal shows, lots of live entertainment, and much more.
August 11-14: Northwest Colonial Festival – Port Angeles invites you to watch daily reenactments of famous battles taking place at the George Washington Inn and Washington Lavender Farm.
August 11-14: Morton Logger’s Jubilee
August 12: An Evening with Jackson Browne at Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery. Reserve your place. Tickets go fast.
August 12-14: If you missed the other tastes and bites experience A Taste of Edmonds makes a more-than-adequate replacement. The 33rd annual event is among the top three festivals in the state and among the top 100 North American festivals. Arts and crafts, food, a kid’s area with rides and entertainment, three stages with live music, and a beer and wine garden can all be yours a little north of Seattle.
August 15-24: Washington State International Kite Festival on Long Beach Peninsula. The sky blazes with color this time of year. Look for a full, entertaining program of kite competitions, exhibitions and demonstrations, kite making and flying lessons, mass ascensions, indoor kite ballet, a teddy bear drop and more on the spacious, sand beach.
August 23-27: Benton Franklin Fair and Rodeo A demolition derby, concerts, rodeo, carnival, Mutton Bustin’, BBQ Cook-off and much more in Tri-Cities. 
August 25-September 5: Evergreen State Fair , one of the very biggest fairs in the state – you need two days to see it all. Pro West Rodeo contests, Speedway racing, competitive exhibits in 4-H and FFA, Evergreen Youth Livestock Show, contests, and food galore. Free gate admission on opening day until 1 p.m.
August 27-28: Olympic Peninsula Air Affaire presents hot air balloons, skydivers, wing walkers and other aeronautical treasures at the Sequim Valley Airport.
Just Plain Cool
Whale Watching the Best in Years: The Strait of Juan de Fuca has had extraordinary numbers of humpback whales and sightings of a rare-to-these-waters fin whale. Orcas are very active.
Chuckanut Drive in Bellingham turns 100 this year. Video courtesy Bellingham Herald.
Watch for news about Thurston County’s new Bountiful Byway.