MONROE — The Evergreen State Fair hasn’t even started, but the hustle and bustle behind the rabbit and poultry barn on Wednesday afternoon rivaled that of the fair’s busiest days.

A dozen or so kids from Snohomish County 4-H and Future Farmers of America clubs moved quickly through a conveyor of chickens, ducks, geese and pigeons, checking the birds for mites and moving them into the barn for showing at the fair. About 500 birds will be on display this year, said Stan Depner, a volunteer sporting a dusty black fedora with two or three feathers.

The key was to hold the chickens securely, so they would let the girls run their gloved fingers through the birds’ feathers. A few unruly chickens broke loose but the vet-check volunteers quickly grabbed them.

On the other side of the barn, all was quiet. Robin Carlson waited by her daughters’ rabbit cages. Carlson’s family moved from Mill Creek to Duvall when her younger daughter, Ashley, said she wanted to raise animals and later to become a veterinarian.

As part of the deal, Ashley had to enroll in 4-H and be involved in the club for six months before she could get her first rabbit.

“I wanted to make sure she could take care of the animals herself.”

Ashely was 8 when she got her first rabbit. She is now an active 14-year-old, showing her rabbits and other animals at the fair along with her older sister, Nichole. Both have won awards for their work in 4-H.

The girls work hard all year to come to show their accomplishments at the fair, Carlson said. That brings back her own memories of a long-standing family tradition.

“My dad brought me to the fair since the ’60s,” she said.

Each year, planning pretty much begins the day the organizers wrap up the current year’s fair, said Sherry Stovner, the superintendent coordinator. Stovner’s 72 superintendents have three or four helpers each. All are volunteers.

The fair hires about 325 workers each year. About 400 more work the carnival and food booths, said Mark Campbell, manager of the fairgrounds.

Attendance took a hit in the last couple of years, but the fair is still the largest event in Snohomish County. Last year, more than 714,000 people walked through the entrance gates. In comparison, more than 901,000 people attended the fair in 2006. That was the all-time record in the fair’s 102-year history, Campbell said.

He said rainy weather is mostly to blame for the dip in numbers in 2008 and 2009. The bad economy doesn’t help either, although for the fair that means more people are doing things in their community instead of going on vacation.

To promote the fair this year, organizers offered an unprecedented deal on the opening day. Everyone gets in free today until 1 p.m.

“We are trying to enable everyone in the community to come be a part of it, and we hope people will take advantage of that,” Campbell said.

The carnival added two new rides, bringing the number to 43. The point is to minimize the time people wait in line, Campbell said. Some roadwork on U.S. 2 took out about 400 parking spaces, so he encouraged people to carpool.

The fair’s location hasn’t changed, but organizers keep looking for new ways to add new displays. A new interactive exhibit, Days of the Dinosaurs, premiers this year in an area of the fairgrounds that wasn’t used much previously.

“We have high hopes this year. We feel we really have a diverse array of attractions and things for people to see and do,” Campbell said.

Katya Yefimova: 425-339-3452; kyefimova@heraldnet.com.

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Free days at the fair

The Evergreen State Fair has free admission on the following days:

Today: Everyone, until 1 p.m.

Monday: Seniors age 62 and over, all day

Sept. 2: Children age 15 and younger, all day