YAMHILL COUNTY FAIR 2026, THE OLDEST COUNTY FAIR IN OREGON

I went to the Yamhill County Fair for the rides?

Noooo.

Luckily I went with my wife and our friend (hey Josette) and they weren’t jumping in line.

Neither was anyone else since we were there early. It opens at 10.

So why drive out into the farmland past towns and graveyards full of pioneers?

Call it a reminder, an update, a check-in on kids and critters. 

For starters:

 

 

Baby boomers, old people in general, starting around forty years old, have a way of telling a story.

For instance, have you heard about the days when Oregon Long Horns roamed the plains from here to Texas?

Me neither, but a savvy observer did mention this cow is the same color as UT, orange and white.

 

Animal Husbandry On Display 

The kid is brushing young cows like a fearless expert.

Are they her cows? Maybe. Her family sat in a circle just out of the frame with a long line of cows eating lunch at the wall.

Once you get into the swing of things, like no boundaries between animals and you, people step up.

These aren’t your normal goofy kids.

Everyone we talked to could tell their animal’s breed and bloodline, where they originated, and their awards.

And it wasn’t mumble-talk. The kids know what they’re doing and want you to know, too.

 

 

One of the things I remember as a youth are the angles of a cows kicker.

That leg goes backwards and sideways, so even if you do everything right, but the cow doesn’t like you so close, lookout.

Did any in my group listen to me? Of course not. City girls apparently didn’t find out early to keep some distance.

Me, I keep distance and steel between me and a cow with attitude.

If you don’t get kicked, you could get head-butted, or punched by a cow’s head throwing a hook.

 

 

A county fair is a good way to stay in touch, a good way to stay grounded.

Parents who showed animals when they were young are there with their kids and their animals from cows to horses and sheep.

A competitive tension permeates the barns, so does respect for everyone engaged in the process.

They’re all joined in the common cause of ranching and farming and it’s a beautiful thing.

 

The Lively Livestock

Pet the turkey?

Noooo.

Do NOT pet the turkey.

How about the goat?

 

 

Only pet goats the same color as the longhorn out front.

This is the rabbit judging.

You can tell it’s serious by the kids’ expressions.

 

 

Call it Americana at its finest with the combination of kids, critters, and adults showing the way.

I asked one of the moms how to introduce my grandkids to the program.

She said 4H. This is a link to 4H.

How many Portland baby boomer grandkids are 4H?

Are yours?

 

 

My millennial kids missed out because they were on the cutting edge of early video games and decent skateboards.

I missed out because my dad grew up with animals and barns and that was enough, though he did have a herd of cows once he had the land.

Small town lots and suburban houses are not always conducive to farm life, but if the kids show enthusiasm for it, keep it going.

So, keep it going.

 

PS:

On the way in this poster caught my eye.

If the winner chooses the gun, he might take the remaining prize with him?

 

PSS:

I didn’t buy a ticket from the Yamhill Ladies, but I did buy two hats a few tables down from Disabled Veterans of America for five bucks each.

I stopped to talk to them while the rest of the group (wife and Jo) went on.

They came back later to find me still there with the fellas.

Was I telling the guys all about all of the heroics I performed during my Army service?

Noooo, we don’t like to talk about it. Also I don’t have any heroics, so I told my dad’s.

The two men thought that was funny, then told about others who’d stopped to chat who couldn’t remember their branch, their permanent duty station, or rank on discharge.

Were they disabled, or making things up?

Either way, I thanked them for showing up before going off to find an elusive twelve dollar hand-dipped corndog.

If you only eat one corndog a year, make it a county fair corndog.