From the Editor's Desk: Remembering the fair
By Pat Caldwell
Saturday, July 4, 2009 8:58 PM PDT
I haven’t talked much about upcoming initiatives at the Argus Observer, mainly because, this time of year, the newsroom is so focused on our annual Horizons Magazine that there is little time for much else.
We take a lot of pride in Horizons, and this year’s edition should be as good, or better than, issues we’ve produced in the past.
We are focusing on the 100th anniversary of the Malheur County Fair, and, already, we’ve been able to generate a number of interesting stories on the subject.
News Editor Jessica Keller is the project manager for the newsroom side of Horizons, while Casey Ney will design the magazine.
Fairs hold a special place in my heart because I can remember how big a deal the Union County production was when I was a little boy.
Every August, the fairgrounds would play host to a carnival and people and animals. I can still recall vividly spending all day at the fair, walking around (I didn’t have much money, so it was a sight-seeing venture at its heart) and taking in the sights.
I was always with one or two of my friends, and we would ride our bikes from our houses to the fair.
At night, I would desperately try to conjure money from my parents and then try to talk them into letting me stay down at the fairgrounds as late as possible.
It was a long ride from my house to the fairgrounds on a bike, and, in the dark, the journey may have normally stopped me. But it was the fair, and the dark didn’t matter.
For a little boy in rural Union County, the fair was a big, big deal.
Even now, fairs, to me, are a big deal. Especially one as rich in tradition as the Malheur County Fair.
My mother’s family hailed from Juntura, and she told me, when she was young, the Malheur County Fair was a big event.
One year, my aunt Mary was a princess on the Malheur County Fair Rodeo Court.
So, in a sense, two different fairs in two different counties bookend the memories of my youth. One in Union County, another in Malheur County.
That’s why I believe celebrating this great event in our Horizons Magazine is so significant.
The other important piece, of course, to the overall theme is the fact the fair will be 100 years old this year.
That is more than just another piece of trivia. The fact our area can celebrate an event that began 100 years ago is interesting but also a testament to our very culture and our way of life.
Horizons Magazine will be distributed July 26. If you are a subscriber, you will get a copy in your paper. If not, then you can come down to the Argus Observer and purchase a copy.
The Argus Observer is proud to be able to provide this product to our readers, and we, in the newsroom, are excited about this year’s edition.
It is not often we secure the opportunity to focus on a single, local event. This year, though, we’ve had that chance, and I believe readers will enjoy an edition focused solely on the Malheur County Fair and its 100-year history.
So don’t forget about Horizons Magazine this year. Look for it in your paper at the end of July or come down to the office and purchase a copy before the fair starts.
Pat Caldwell is the editor of the Argus Observer. He can be contacted at PatC@argusobserver.com
