Fair has come a long way to enjoy sustained success

In previewing this year’s edition of the Yamhill County Fair & Rodeo with the Board of Commissioners last week, Manager Gary Wertz said: “Oregon’s oldest fair is ready for you. Just take in the smells of corndogs, cotton candy, popcorn and all the other smells that we have had the privilege of bringing to the citizens of the county for 171 years.”

Fair preparations and acceptance of entries were disrupted Tuesday afternoon following a nearby propane tank fire, but an extended Tuesday night deadline — thanks to volunteers willing to stay late — put everything back on track for Wednesday’s opening day of a local extravaganza running through Saturday night.

It’s no surprise to see county fair operations pull success out of adversity. Looking back through the last 30-plus years of this 171-year tradition, one can find a series of challenges overcome and celebrate the organization’s current state.

The mid-1990s were fraught with budget deficits and various controversies for the county fairgrounds operations. The flurry of political activity was so bad in the summer of 1994, fair board members and staff had to campaign against swirling rumors it would be canceled that year.

The fairgrounds continued to operate under annual deficits — as much as $40,000 some years — resulting in ongoing deferred maintenance and plenty of in-fighting over who was to blame. Commissioners often had to vote to bail out the fair financially, despite it already receiving funds from state video lottery dollars, systems development charges and other sources.

Support to collaboratively find solutions led to the 2005 hiring of part-time fair Manager Al Westhoff. Right away, with the help of board Chairman Gary Wertz, the resignation of three Fair Board members was smoothed over, followed by a resurgence of county fair activities that put the event in the black.

There have still been a few hiccups along the way, such as finding the fairgrounds books “in disarray” in 2013 and parting ways with the long-time office manager. But financial stability was quickly restored with continuing successful county fairs through the 2017 retirement of Westhoff and hiring of Wertz as new fair manager. Commissioners committed to making the position full-time to tap even more potential as a year-round, multi-event venue.

There were significant financial challenges in 2020 when the Covid epidemic canceled that year’s fair, but Wertz led an aggressive repurposing of fairgrounds operations and organized a re-opening of Oregon’s oldest county fair in 2021.

It has since been one successful fair after another, coinciding with increasing revenue-generating uses and rentals year-round to make the department financially sound.

In the 2025-26 budget, Wertz notes the fair now ranks No. 6 in size in Oregon. “You should be proud of where we are today compared to 30 years ago,” Wertz wrote, adding that visitors last year traveled from as far away as Maine to attend.

There’s still work to be done, he said, and noted one problem the board and staff are starting to consider is being too successful. “The facility is out of room for the amount of people we are attracting.”

The board previously looked at selling the fairgrounds, but that was in response to years of failures and mismanagement. The fact that the option is back on the table for the opposite reason is an incredible success story.

Hopefully, this year’s punny theme proves true: “Ewe Ain’t Seen Nuthin’ Yet.”