WOOD LAKE — It takes a lot to stop Wood Lake’s community traditions.

In its whole history, there have only been six years when the Wood Lake Community Fair was canceled, said resident Sharla Bengtson. Those six years covered events like World War II, polio outbreaks, and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

But the fair is making its return this coming week. Bengtson said community members will be celebrating the 80th Wood Lake Fair, Monday through Wednesday.

“(The fair) started in 1935, and it was called the Bullhead Festival years ago,” Bengtson said. The name has changed since then, but the event still draws lots of folks to Wood Lake for carnival rides, hamburgers, and events like bingo and Wednesday’s grand parade.

“We get people from all over to help serve hamburgers,” Bengtson said. Over the course of the fair, “We usually serve around 4,000 burgers.”

In some ways, the Wood Lake Community Fair is similar to a county fair. There’s an exhibit hall at the Wood Lake Community center, where fair entries will be judged. The Lakeview Booster Club runs a bingo stand, the Wood Lake Community Club operates the hamburger stand, and there are carnival rides each night. Bengtson said there are some new additions this year — for one example, a bigger bingo stand has been built this year.

“What’s new is there’s a scavenger hunt this year,” Bengtson said. Participants can pick up their bags and contest rules starting at 4 p.m. Monday at the food stand. Then participants have until noon Wednesday to collect items for the hunt. Bengtson said there will be some unique judging categories for the contest, including most creative items.

There will be free entertainment planned for each of the three nights of the fair. On Monday, kids can take part in a pedal tractor pull — an event that always draws plenty of competitors, Bengtson said. Jarrod Pederson and KOLT will be providing outdoor entertainment on Tuesday and Wednesday near the beer garden. And the grand parade kicks off Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

The fair is a time that brings a lot of community members together, Bengtson said. People come into town to enjoy the fun, and it’s also a time when family members often come back to Wood Lake to visit.

Of course, volunteering to put the fair on also brings a lot of people together. Bengtson said the work begins right away Monday morning, with cutting up hundreds of pounds of onions to cook up at the hamburger stand.