UMATILLA COUNTY FAIR
Familiar face to lead the parade
L
ou Lyons is certainly not a new face at the
Umatilla County Fair, but he’ll be front
and center as grand marshal as the fair
celebrates “New Faces, New Places” at the
2017 parade.
Lyons came to Hermiston to work with
Elmer Georgeson at Elmer’s Irrigation in 1989
and quickly joined in the company’s tradition
of involvement in the fair and rodeo. He said
they always did “little things with the fair” but
their biggest involvement has always been
with 4-H and FFA — something that Lyons
continued when he took over the business.
That involvement includes giving 400
tickets to 4-H and FFA youth to the Thursday
night rodeo and sponsoring the calf dressing
event, where high schoolers from the various
chapters compete to see who can get a T-shirt
on a calf the fastest. The winning chapter gets
a $1,000 check from Elmer’s Irrigation, hats
and their name on the calf-dressing trophy.
“They get out there and chase those calves
and it’s a great time to watch,” Lyons said.
He said Elmer’s Irrigation also buys three
or four animals from the youth auction each
year and gives the meat to their employees.
They do the same for the Morrow County Fair
and Oregon Trail Pro Rodeo, and also support
other youth events such as sports booster
fundraisers.
Staff photo by Jade McDowell
Lou Lyons, center, accepts the 2017 Umatilla
County Fair grand marshal title while Dan
Dorran, left, looks on.
“I think it’s important to support the
youth,” Lyons said. “We’re serving and
investing in the future of our community.”
He added that he loves guiding youth
involvement in agriculture because it imparts
important life lessons.
He’s looking forward to visiting the new
fairgrounds and hopes that much of the
community will also show their support by
visiting the Youth Ag exhibits or purchasing
animals at the auction.
“Fairs and rodeos are about the kids,” he
said. “Plus, it’s a lot of fun.”
The real thanks goes to customers in the
community who support Elmer’s Irrigation,
enabling him to sponsor these events, he said.
Lyons is not big on being in the spotlight but
said he was honored to be asked to be the
grand marshal.
The Aug. 5 parade will follow the same
route around the old fairgrounds, with line-
ups starting at Hermiston High School at 4
p.m. The parade starts at 6:30 p.m.. Those
looking to participate must register by July
28. Visit www.umatillacounty.net/fair for
more information.
Other faces
• Warren Smith, male volunteer of the
year, has done “odds and ends” for the fair
since the 1970s, including work on the sound
system, the rodeo, and building stronger gates
for the pigs.
• Alice Newman, female volunteer of
the year, has worked through the years on
everything from coordinating exhibitors to
serving as a chaperon for the Umatilla County
Fair Court. (See PAGE 8)
• Shelco Electric, business partner of the
year, which supplies electricity to the fair.
BBQ competition serves up tasty thrills
I
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Karlos Oneal piles grilled veggies on a BBQ
beef sandwich at the Piggly’s BBQ stand at the
Umatilla County Fair last year in Hermiston —
the last at the old fairgrounds.
10 | Umatilla County Fair Guide 2017
t’s not just stomachs that are expanding.
This year’s backyard barbecue competition
will be bigger and better, featuring an addi-
tional category: bloody marys.
The Backyard Barbecue Competition is al-
ways a crowd pleaser, according to fair board
chairman Gay Newman.
Twenty teams of up to four chefs (aged 21
or older if they’ll be participating in the alco-
hol portion of the competition) can enter in
any and all of seven divisions. Teams provide
their own barbecues, tools and flavors. Fair
sponsors provide the main food, all of which
is grown or raised in Umatilla County.
The divisions include onion, potato, lamb,
beef, pork spare ribs, bloody marys and blue-
berries (for dessert). All items must be pre-
pared on a barbecue.
Teams must enter in all seven divisions to
be eligible for the grand prize, a brand new
barbecue courtesy of Ranch & Home. But
there’s opportunities to win in each division
as well, with $300, $200 and $100 cash prizes.
“That means a single team could win up
to $2,100,” Newman said. In addition to the
fortune, there’s the fame. Winning recipes are
often published in the newspaper, as well as
the promotional materials of sponsors. There’s
glory to be had, too.
“There’s always a bit of trash talking,”
Newman said. “It’s a lot of fun.”
This year’s will be held on Aug. 9, kicking
off at 9:15 a.m. with the cook’s meeting. The
first dish turn-in takes place at 12:15 p.m..
The entry fee is $40 per team. To regis-
ter, visit www.umatillacounty.net/fair, pick up
a packet from the fair office or call 541-567-
6121.