The Fair

Farm fact: Pigeons mate for life.
Days til fair: 181
Weather: Sprinkles.

All’s fair

Here’s a story from “100 Years at the Northwest Washington Fair” about an incredibly romantic proposal that took place at the fair – with the help of Roy Clark:

No matter how devoted, any husband would have a hard time topping Matt Cobb’s marriage proposal to his wife, Yvonne, at a Roy Clark concert in 1995.

That summer, Cobb was staying with his sister and mom, Virginia Cobb, in Lynden. Born in Portland, Ore., Matt moved to Lynden when he was 2 and graduated from Lynden High School. The couple had met when Matt was serving in the Marine Corps in California.

Since Matt had shared that he wanted to propose when Yvonne came to visit during fair time, his mother mentioned it to her friend Joan Kudsk, who worked in the fair office.
“Joan said, ‘Hey, let’s see if one of the entertainers would do something with that,’” remembers Matt.

“I had a ring,” he says. “I knew that something was going to happen during the Roy Clark show.”

Though Yvonne was a bit mystified at her sweetheart’s sudden enthusiasm for Roy Clark, she looked forward to a taste of country music.

During the concert, “someone handed Roy a note,” recalls Yvonne. “He asked if there was a Matt Cobb in the audience. I thought that his mom and sister had planned some kind of elaborate welcome home from the Marine Corps,” she remembers, “so I said, ‘Stand up!’

“Roy Clark said, teasing, ‘Did you bring Marge – I mean, Yvonne – with you?’ So I stood up.

“Roy Clark said, ‘It turns out that Matt has something he wants to ask you.’

“Matt was going down on his knee,” remembers Yvonne. “He asked me if I would marry him. I said, yes, yes, oh, my gosh!” The crowd roared its approval.

“After, I remember walking around with this ring on my hand, looking at it and thinking is this for real?”

Now living in Portland, Ore., and married since June 1996, the couple have three kids. “I couldn’t have asked for a better proposal … or a better husband,” says Yvonne.

While they haven’t been back since that summer, “someday we’ll take the kids up there and tell them about it,” Yvonne says. “The fair holds a very special place in my heart.”

See you at the fair!
Sarah Eden Wallace