News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
You know what to expect when you go to the county fair -- and that's the whole idea. You can count on fun carnival rides for kids (of all ages), good music, tasty food and livestock groomed to a high sheen for show and auction. And what cow-country fair would be complete without a rodeo?
Families from Sisters and all over Central Oregon reveled in traditional family fun last week at the Deschutes County Fair held in Redmond July 31-August 4.
Blue skies and moderate temperature made for perfect fair-going weather. Families hopped from ride to ride and sampled a wide variety of food in the food park. Fair-goers were tempted to test their skill at crossbow shooting, knocking over bottles with softballs and ringing bottles. Success was usually elusive, but people were seen carrying away giant prize stuffed toys, proving that the games could be beat.
Livestock is the traditional focus of a county fair, and fair-goers had ample opportunity to view the prize animals exhibited by youth from 4-H and Future Farmers of America. Saturday afternoon was dominated by livestock auctions featuring everything from market cattle to sheep and swine.
The exhibition grounds were crowded, and fair-goers saw everywhere signs advocating passage of a $23.5 million bond measure to construct new, larger fairgrounds near the Redmond Airport. The measure will be decided upon by Redmond voters in a September 17 special election.
The Deschutes County Fair is reportedly the third-largest county fair in the state and it seems to grow in popularity each year.
But no matter how big the fair grows, it seems unlikely to ever outgrow its tradition of honoring livestock-raising achievement and providing five days of fun for Central Oregon.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
Reader Comments(0)