End of an era for this Puyallup Fair family

Pat Tuthill dropped a scoop of hamburger in the center of a thin circle of dough, then placed it on a cookie sheet in the fridge – its last stop on the way to the deep fryer.

The 67-year-old Puyallup woman chatted with friends as she worked. She didn’t need to concentrate because she’s been making fleischkuechle, a German-Russian dish, for years.

It’s been the family business for nearly 50 years. Tuthill and her sister-in-law, Pat Jorgensen, 62, also of Puyallup, have been selling the beef turnovers outside the Puyallup Fair for 17 of those years.

But not for much longer.

The Western Washington Fair Association is buying the land underneath their stand, and the women are taking that as their cue to retire.

In a year when the fair board proposed – then dropped – plans to expand its footprint, the end of one business shows that the Puyallup Fair still intends to grow a little at a time. At least one other vendor has been approached to sell his land.

Tuthill and Jorgensen remember when there were so many private concessions outside the fair gates that the streets were a fair unto themselves.

This year, there are fewer than two dozen, according to city records.

The women have placed a “For sale” sign on their trailer. They’re breaking the news to their faithful followers and saying goodbye.

“We knew it was going to come to an end someday,” said Tuthill, standing over a tray of dough, her apron spotted with flour. “We just didn’t know when.”

The women have run Miller’s Fleischkuechle since 1993. They took it over from Tuthill’s aunts, the Miller sisters, who started the seasonal business three decades before.

Their stand is perched on 11/2 acres at 904 Fairview Drive near the Red Gate, on land owned by the family of Irene Pape.

Pape moved into the home onsite in 1953 and lived there until her death last year at age 86.

Her children, sons Chuck and Jim Hansen and daughter Donna Stebner, recently accepted the fair’s offer to buy the land.

Chuck Hansen said it wasn’t a hasty decision. The family and the fair had discussed a possible sale over the years, and this year all the pieces fell into place, he said.

He declined to give the sale price. The deal is expected to close next month.

Kent Hojem, the fair’s chief executive officer, said property like that has several potential uses. In the short-term, it could be added to the fair’s inventory of parking lots. Down the road, it also could be a stop or hub for mass transit or be useful if the fair expands beyond the current gates, he said.

The fair earlier this year proposed a land-use change that would set the stage for growth — a new designation of “events center” for about 200 acres, including some private property. Neighbors raised concerns about the impact of the change on property values and their way of life.

The fair withdrew the proposal for consideration last month. Hojem said fair officials are committed to listening to what neighbors and community members have to say.

“I think we provide an economic engine for the local community,” he said. “With strategic and careful growth, we can do even more. We can provide an even greater economic engine.”

Tuthill and Jorgensen said they understand why Pape’s family is selling, and why the fair wants to grow. They have no hard feelings.

They do feel nostalgia, though. Families would come to the streets around the fair to eat and soak up the atmosphere without having to spend the money to go inside, they said.

Tom Creighton, who runs some private concession stands across the street, estimated that years ago there were more than 100 vendors selling items from food to jewelry outside the gates.

That number has dropped as the fair bought more land, he said.

“The whole street was a big carnival,” the 75-year-old said. “It was fun to be around here. I think all those (people) that go way back miss that.”

Creighton runs stands with his son and daughter-in-law on 5th Street Southwest and also by the Gold Gate. They offer scones, burgers, hot dogs and other treats.

The family has run the stands more than 30 years. At first they rented space; about two decades ago Creighton bought the 5th Street property.

He said the fair recently approached him about buying the land. He’s not selling now, but won’t rule it out for the future, he said.

Chuck Hansen said that although it was the right time for his family to sell their property, the decision is bittersweet.

Hansen grew up on the Fairview Drive site, helped park cars there for decades during the fair’s annual run, and in recent years helped oversee the private concessions the family began allowing onsite.

“When you’ve been somewhere (for years) and it’s a big part of your life, there’s part of it that tugs at your heartstrings,” he said.

In addition to the fleischkuechle stand, the family also rents to Old World Cone, which sells treats including waffle cones and funnel cake. Manager Becky Thorne said the business hopes to relocate to a new spot outside the fair next year.

Tuthill and Jorgensen won’t be moving their popular stand. They hope someone will come along to buy it and continue the tradition.

It’s sad saying good-bye to customers, many of whom have been stopping by for years, they said. Some make special trips to Puyallup to take home bags of turnovers, the women said.

“Customers are our favorite part because they’ve been with us for so long,” Tuthill said.

“Forever,” said Jorgensen.

They’ve watched children grow up between visits, chuckled as people struggled to pronounce the name of the main dish they serve. (The women pronounce it “fleisch-KOOSH-lay.”)

“We are hoping someone will want to continue with this,” Jorgensen said. “But for Pat and I, this is the end.”

Sara Schilling: 253-552-7058 sara.schilling@thenewstribune.com