August means: It is time to go to the FAIR!
I’m not a huge fan of August as it signals the end of summer and is usually too hot for me. But there is one thing I love about August and that is the County and State Fairs. They are a microcosm of the entire state – all its uniqueness, quirkiness and things to be celebrated. County and State Fairs in the US started in the agricultural areas of the Midwest and Northeast and were initially a way for rural and small community farmers to socialize, learn about new farming practices, seeds, etc. Most farming communities in the US are spread out with farmhouses being miles away from each other – often located in the middle of their farms. Whereas in the farming communities I’ve seen in Europe and Türkiye the houses are gathered in clusters with farmers riding out to their farms each morning. For 19th century US farmers summers meant constant work and little socializing so the fairs were and still are hugely popular.
A big part of the fairs is the livestock and farm goods competitions. Those that excelled at their County Fairs moved on to the State Fair. If you do go to any of the fairs, please take some time to go through the livestock areas – most of the people entering livestock in competitions are kids and you’ll occasionally see them sleeping beside their animal on those hot days. To be honest I don’t know exactly what they’re being judged on – but you’ll see all different kinds of cows, rabbits, birds, goats, chickens, pigs, etc. Anyone else read Charlotte’s Web or your kids? Many of these livestock are sold at the fairs and I know some of these kids use that money to fund college or other endeavors.
Also take time to check out the farm goods competition section – what are farm goods? Well, those can be canned vegetables, quilts, pies, cake decorating, flower arrangements and so much more. The quilts are works of art – all of it is actually! Oregon also has a huge area of local authors selling their books.
Modern day fairs now include carnival rides, games, concerts, rodeos and food. You can find deep fried anything! Throughout the day you’ll see all kinds of performances – as a kid my synchronized swim team always performed at the state fair (you missed out on that show!!) There are also tons of exhibitors trying to sell you the latest miracle or the most amazing tool ever – word to the wise don’t believe everything!
Check out the Clark County Fair (just off I-5 in Ridgefield) from Aug 2-11: https://www.clarkcofair.com/
And the mother of them all: Oregon State Fair in Salem Aug 23-Sept 2: https://oregonstatefair.org/ be sure and check out the Deals and Discounts Page.