Malheur County Fair set next week
By Johna Strickland
Argus Observer
Thursday, July 24, 2008 10:50 AM PDT
Ontario — Janeen Kressly thinks the Malheur County Fair will be a good one this year.
She ought to know. She planned it, together with the fair board.
Starting at 4 p.m. Tuesday and running through Aug. 2, the 99th annual fair will feature all the usual fair culprits — carnival rides, 4-H and FFA animals, rodeos, food booths, open exhibits, clowns, music and dancing.
“I just have a good feeling. It’s gonna be good,” Kressly, who has been the fair board’s secretary and fair manager since 1988, said.
Each year in January, the five voting and four advisory fair board members set out with Kressly to plan the event. They start by booking a carnival nearly a year in advance, then make a trip to the Oregon Fairs Association meeting. During each meal at the conference, a different group showcases its talent to fair leaders looking to book entertainment.
This year Kressly didn’t find anyone at the meeting. Instead, she and the board networked, talking to this person who led them to that person, and Kressly contacted a talent agent for one booking until every slot on the fair schedule was filled. After 20 years in the fair business, Kressly said talent agents and community members become friends who know exactly what type of entertainment she is seeking.
This year’s schedule brings daily reptile displays, Guitar Hero tournaments, clowns and a hypnotist; a battle of the bands, dancing by The Studio and karaoke Tuesday; Highstrung Band Wednesday; an antique road show, a talent contest, team roping, Silver Leaf Square Dancers Thursday; Treasure Valley Community College’s summer band, cow dog show and a rodeo Friday; livestock sale, pretty baby contest, grilling contest and a rodeo Saturday.
With the fair not even begun, crews from Snake River Correctional Institution, 4-H, FFA, county community corrections and Malheur Community Stewardship Corp. have been busy preparing the grounds on Northwest Ninth Street — pulling out benches, painting, trimming trees, setting up the parking lots, mowing, watering and raking the arena.
“It’s little things like that that people don’t realize take a lot of time,” Kressly said.
The fair board spends about $350,000 to put on the fair, which garnered 23,000 visits last year. Much of the money comes from admission prices, booth and facility rentals, but the state legislature sends approximately $45,000 each year, and Malheur County gives about $18,000 although the fair is not on the tax roll. Still the money is never enough to maintain the grounds and produce a fair.
“We’re constantly under the gun of trying to fix things with no money,’’ fair board member Bonnie Van Atta said.
Kressly agreed.
“You learn to be really conservative,” she said, noting the board borrows equipment whenever possible rather than buying or renting it.
High fuel costs have impacted the budget this year, raising the price of shavings, straw and operating tractors and lawnmowers.
“It’s filtered down on everything,” Kressly said, adding the board hopes people who may not be traveling great distances because of fuel will come to the fair instead.
