Aerial view of the fairgrounds. (Photo credit: Donovan Goldtooth)

Late summer to early fall on the Navajo Nation is fair season. The fairs kick off in late July and end in mid October with the Western Navajo Fair (WNF) in Tuba City, my hometown. This is the fair that I know the best, and the fair that is unarguably considered to be the best on the Rez. There is no other fair that has multiple fashion shows, Navajo shoe games, yei bi cheii dances, Elder Ubers, NELLY (?!! Yes, thee Nelly), a massive art installation (yep, made by yours truly), or one that brings so many people together that our cell phone and internet services are basically knocked out for 3 days straight.

The Western Navajo Fair is a pretty big deal and not just for all of the concerts (last year we had Ginuwine! Juvenile! Aces Wild! Stateline [FYI: they have free concerts on FB live every week]! And again NELLY in 2018!), the food (my god, the piccadillies, the mutton, the elotes, the Navajo tacos…), the carnival (the Zipper, a classic!), the Miss Western Navajo Fair pageant, and the bomb arts and crafts markets (this is the time of year to clear out your savings account for that squash blossom set)--but because it is the time when we get to all come together as a community to be with family and friends.

It is the time when many who have not been able to come back to the Rez for the whole year, or many years, are able to make the pilgrimage home. We share meals and seats together at the parade and dance to the Rez bands all night long. It’s also a time for us to celebrate our traditional culture, and welcome those out-of-towners from all over our sovereign nation and those sisters and brothers from neighboring tribes and towns to join in.

The WNF has always been the highlight of the year for many. This year, all the fairs were cancelled for the first time in decades, for all the obvious and right reasons: to contain the spread of coronavirus.

This past week was when the fair would have been. The cancellation has left a hole for all of us. I constantly hear myself say, along with many others, “dang, I’m all missing the fair this year.” So to mark what could have been this week, I’ve rustled up a few pics from the past few years, some contributed by friends and family and some borrowed from the Western Navajo Fair’s Facebook page, to remind us of the good times and to get us hyped for next year. May we celebrate in the land of milk and honey, the Western Navajo Fairgrounds, once again.

Wylie and me marching in the parade. (Photo credit: Aza Quinn-Brauner)

Though the WNF was cancelled this year, the fairgrounds are not empty. Quite the opposite. They have been fully converted to distribution centers and coronavirus relief areas. There are frontline workers and volunteers, including fair employees, who have pivoted to helping our community with much needed supplies, like food, water, medical and cleaning supplies. They’ve set up Covid testing sites and have broadcast DJ sets to the local radio station, so people can listen in their vehicles while they wait. It’s a different type of gathering in 2020, but it’s an equally important one. I am so grateful to everyone working there. I am looking forward to when we’re all gathering there to celebrate the end of Covid, and the beginning of a new era.

(One more thing: major shout-out to Chantel Yazzie, Mike Sixkiller, Kelsey Scott, and their entire crew for all the hard work they do not only for the fair each year but for our community year-round, and to Tosheena Nez, Ben Harvey, Everlee McCabe, Bobbie Yazzie and their teams for their frontline work during the pandemic. You all are my heroes.)

— Emma Robbins | @emmarobbinz