Lane County Fair is a fair that is held in the middle of the summer every year, at

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast. As of the 2020 United States Census, Eu ...

, and it features cuisine, entertainment, and music. Excellent family entertainment, cuisine, and artwork can be found at the Lane County Fair. A Lane County Agricultural Society was established in 1858, and on October 9, it hosted its inaugural show, which was still not regarded as

fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...

. In 1860, a state agricultural association was established, and it was planned to host a

state fair A state fair is an annual competitive and recreational gathering of a U.S. state's population, usually held in late summer or early fall. It is a larger version of a county fair, often including only exhibits or competitors that have won in th ...

. From October 3 to October 4, 1860, a

was conducted close to Oregon City. On October 9 and 10, 1861, there was another

. Finally, the inaugural "Lane County Fair" was held for three days on September 25, 1884. Excellent family

entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousa ...

is available at the Lane County Fair, including

performance A performance is an act of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment. It is also defined as the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function. Management science In the work place ...

rides Amusement rides, sometimes called carnival rides, are mechanical devices or structures that move people especially kids to create fun and enjoyment. Rides are often perceived by many as being scary or more dangerous than they actually are. This ...

game A game is a structured form of play (activity), play, usually undertaken for enjoyment, entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator s ...

s, and fun. Examine the

arts The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both hi ...

and

craft A craft or trade is a pastime or an occupation that requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work. In a historical sense, particularly the Middle Ages and earlier, the term is usually applied to people occupied in small scale prod ...

agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating Plant, plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of Sedentism, sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of Domestication, domesticated species created food ...

, and

animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...

exhibits An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within a cultural or educational setting such as a museum, art gallery, park, library, exhibitio ...

in the exhibition hall. Enjoy the

classics like

cotton candy Cotton candy, also known as fairy floss and candy floss, is a spun sugar confection that resembles cotton. It usually contains small amounts of flavoring or food coloring. It is made by heating and liquefying sugar, and spinning it centrifu ...

, elephant ears,

BBQ Barbecue or barbeque (informally BBQ in the UK, US, and Canada, barbie in Australia and braai in South Africa) is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods that use live fire and smoke t ...

, and

ice cream Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It may be made from milk or cream and is flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit such as str ...

from your favorite food vendors. There will be a big

Ferris wheel A Ferris wheel (also called a Giant Wheel or an observation wheel) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating upright wheel with multiple passenger-carrying components (commonly referred to as passenger cars, cabins, tubs, gondolas, capsules ...

at the

that will allow you to see Eugene and the fairgrounds from above.

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million y ...

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated s ...

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...

rabbit Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...

s, and

poultry Poultry () are domesticated birds kept by humans for their eggs, their meat or their feathers. These birds are most typically members of the superorder Galloanserae (fowl), especially the order Galliformes (which includes chickens, quails, a ...

will be presented and evaluated for both adult and juvenile competition.

History

Before 1858 at Eugene,

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. Due to its favorable

terrain Terrain or relief (also topographical relief) involves the vertical and horizontal dimensions of land surface. The term bathymetry is used to describe underwater relief, while hypsometry studies terrain relative to sea level. The Latin word ...

and fertile soil, Eugene has been described as a natural center for

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

. But

farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mig ...

s appear to make little

money Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are as ...

. this is due to the lack of suitable

roadways A carriageway (British English) or roadway (North American English) consists of a width of road on which a vehicle is not restricted by any physical barriers or separation to move lateral movement, laterally. A carriageway generally consists of ...

for transporting goods between Eugene and the

marketplace A marketplace or market place is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a '' souk'' (from the Arabic), ' ...

s in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

. The only option to move such products was to use a

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

that sailed up the Willamette, but the cost of shipping was high. In response to these circumstances, farmers begin to get together and formed farmer's clubs, which are essentially communities where farmers share knowledge and methods to advance the American agricultural system. They exchange growing techniques and shipping advice. Later in 1858 a Lane County Agricultural Society was formed and held the first

exhibition An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within a cultural or educational setting such as a museum, art gallery, park, library, exhibition ...

on 9 October but still not considered

. In 1859 Lane County Agricultural Society had another meeting on 7 April. The meeting was big enough that it was considered the advisability of holding a

. This led to another meeting in the same year 7 December with the representative of other

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

societies. In another meeting on 22 February 1860, a state agricultural society was formed and decided to hold a

in 1860. Thus the first state fair was held from 3 October to 4 October 1860 near Oregon City. Another fair was on the 9th and 10 October 1861. After that Apparently, there were no fairs held. Finally, On 25 September 1884, The first official "Lane County Fair" was held for three days with the officers and members of Lane County Agricultural Society sponsorship. It was a success and the fairs were continuously held until 1910 with the help of granges the best

were sent to Portland for advertisement and became known across the country. It stated that 1910 is the end of the pioneer fairs and the beginning of our present-day modern fairs.

Events

The Lane County Fair has excellent family entertainment, including shows,

carnival rides Amusement rides, sometimes called carnival rides, are mechanical devices or structures that move people especially kids to create fun and enjoyment. Rides are often perceived by many as being scary or more dangerous than they actually are. This ...

s, and fun. The fair will have a variety of

, including a sizable

Ferris Wheel A Ferris wheel (also called a Giant Wheel or an observation wheel) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating upright wheel with multiple passenger-carrying components (commonly referred to as passenger cars, cabins, tubs, gondolas, capsules ...

that will give you a bird's-eye perspective of the fairgrounds and Eugene. Each ride requires nine to ten tickets, and single ride tickets cost 50 cents. Enjoy your favorite food

vendor In a supply chain, a vendor, supplier, provider or a seller, is an enterprise that contributes goods or services. Generally, a supply chain vendor manufactures inventory/stock items and sells them to the next link in the chain. Today, these terms ...

s serving up traditional fair delicacies like

, elephant ears,

, and a ton of

. Explore the exhibition hall, arts and crafts, and agricultural and animal displays.

Beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...

Wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

, Floral, Food Preservation, Textiles,

Photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed ...

, and more are among the inventive displays this year. For both adult and youth competition,

s, and poultry will be displayed and judged.

Entertainments & Exhibitions

Animal Exhibits

Animal Exhibits is about the

and 4-H exhibits can be found at the south side of the

indoors, along with the judgment of

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animals ...

to see a

horse show A horse show is a judged exhibition of horses and ponies. Many different horse breeds and equestrian disciplines hold competitions worldwide, from local to the international levels. Most horse shows run from one to three days, sometimes longer fo ...

All-Alaskan Racing Pigs

All-Alaskan Racing Pigs is the

pig racing Pig racing is a sport in which juvenile pigs race around in a small, enclosed area of either dirt, fake grass, gravel track or steel-framed enclosures. This racing is usually purely for entertainment or charity, and betting is rarely part of it, ...

track that is one of the Lane County Fair's most famous attractions. There is a team of pigs that are trained to run and jump over obstacles.

Tractor Pull

Tractor Pull is the

tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or construction. Most common ...

pedal pulling that kids can ride a mini tractor and ground-shaking at the

Washboard Willy’s Jamboree

Children's entertainer Washboard Willy is a distinctive and engaging character. Washboard Willy has transformed into a Pied Piper of

Rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular recu ...

for kids of all ages thanks to his benevolent spirit. Their collection of rhythmic toys inspires creative musical expression. He leads a procession and stroll through the fair, and performs on the stage in the kids' area. "In Washboard Willy's wake, smiles emerge."

Professor Smart, Family Fun stage

According to the fair's description, Professor Smart, a skilled juggler and

comic a Media (communication), medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of Panel (comics), panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, Glo ...

, "brings science to life with narrative and cool demonstrations."

Toddler Zone

Toddler Zone is a family-run soft play rental business that brings a safe, entertaining environment. It engages the little children in imaginative and inquisitive activities.

Balloonacy

Balloonacy is a very talented

balloon A balloon is a flexible bag that can be inflated with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, and air. For special tasks, balloons can be filled with smoke, liquid water, granular media (e.g. sand, flour or rice), or light so ...

carver who can create over 100 different animals with

s. They perform throughout the event in family and community fun arenas.

Balloon Ride

Younger children can go on the

ride. Cars revolve when hung from

Dragon Wagon

For smaller children, there is a multi-car dragon-shaped attraction called the Dragon Wagon. It follows an oval-shaped trajectory on a wavy surface.

Vertigo and Kamikaze

There are two rides for adults and older children. Chairs began to spin and rise in vertigo. Unseen below the frame, Kamikaze pulls a sitting

car A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as ...

in a wide arc.

The Elephant Ride

For older children and perhaps parents, there is an

elephant Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae an ...

ride. Elephants rotate around it, each with an adjustable arm.

Power Jump

On the Power Jump, children can flip and jump quite high. Each child jumps on a

trampoline A trampoline is a device consisting of a piece of taut, strong fabric stretched between a steel frame using many coiled spring (device), springs. Not all trampolines have springs, as the Springfree Trampoline uses glass-reinforced plastic rods. ...

while hung from elastic cords. The addition of the elastic cords to the leap allows for extremely high jumps and the freedom to flip.

Foods and beverages

Featured foods include elephant ears (crunchy, cinnamon and sugar coated circles of fried dough, commonly referred to as fry bread) fried ravioli, grilled cheese with blackberries, pizza, beer, wine, barbecue, and ice cream.

Main Stage Concert

2020 & 2021

There was no

held in these two years due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

pandemic.

References

External links

* {{Coord , 44.0439 , -123.1043 , type:landmark_region:US-OR_source:googlemaps_dim:200 , display=title August events Fairgrounds in the United States Tourist attractions in Lane County, Oregon Festivals in Eugene, Oregon Annual fairs Agriculture in Oregon Fairs in Oregon Annual events in Eugene, Oregon